Nilgun Altuntas

Use of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) and near infrared spectroscopy findings in neonates with asphyxia during selective head cooling

BACKGROUND Amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) at <6 h is the best single outcome predictor in term infants with perinatal asphyxia at normothermia. Hypothermia treatment has changed the cutoff values for outcome prediction by using time at onset of normal trace and SWC. Cerebral hemodynamics and oxygenation changes detected by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during hypothermia treatment in aphyxiated neonates are not a well known issue. AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between brain monitoring (amplitude integrated EEG and NIRS) and outcome in asphyxiated full-term infants with moderate/severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy before, during and after hypothermia treatment. METHOD Ten neonates were recruited for hypothermia treatment by using the cool cap entry criteria. aEEG and NIRS were applied in 10 and 8 patients, respectively with moderate and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy before, just after brain cooling and rewarming periods. Patterns and voltages of aEEG backgrounds sleep-wake cycles (SWC) and NIRS values (TOI% and FTOE) were recorded. During the follow up their outcomes were assessed by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II. CONCLUSION Hypothermia changes the predictive value of early aEEG. Normalization of a babys aEEG and the appearance of SWCs while being cooled occurs later. In our study one patient had normal aEEG background pattern at 80 and imminent SWC at 90 h after birth and still had normal Bayley scores at 24 months. Time to normal aEEG and SWC appearance should be carefully evaluated during the cooling period. NIRS values were different due to the clinical presentations of the patients.

Cerebral Hemodynamic Changes and Pain Perception During Venipuncture Is Glucose Really Effective

Newborns are exposed to a considerable number of painful stimuli. This study is aimed to investigate the effects of 30% glucose solution and nonnutritive sucking on pain perception during venipuncture. Twenty-five term infants were randomized as receiving 30% dextrose (group 1) or sterile water (group 2). Neonatal Infant Pain Scale scores, skin conductance algesimeter recordings, and near-infrared spectroscopy measurements were recorded during the procedure. Neonatal Infant Pain Scale and skin conductance algesimeter results were decreased in both groups from that during venipuncture to after the procedure. Group 1 had lower Neonatal Infant Pain Scale scores compared with group 2 after venipuncture, different from the skin conductance algesimeter, where no difference was observed between groups. In group 1, cerebral blood volume increased after venipuncture. Glucose does not attenuate the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale score and skin conductance algesimeter index during venipuncture, but it leads to a lower Neonatal Infant Pain Scale score after venipuncture unlike the skin conductance algesimeter index, which was not lowered.

Are the neonatal outcomes similar in large-for-gestational age infants delivered by women with or without gestational diabetes mellitus?

BackgroundInfants are considered large for gestational age (LGA) if their birth weight is greater than the 90th percentile for gestational age and they have an increased risk for adverse perinatal outcomes. Maternal diabetes is one of the factors affecting birthweight. However there are limited data on the perinatal outcomes of infants of gestational diabetic mothers. The aim of the present study was to compare the neonatal outcomes of LGA infants delivered by women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of LGA infants of ≥36 weeks of gestation born at the Gazi University Medical School Hospital during the period of 2006–2009. Neonatal outcomes included hypoglycemia and polycythemia in the early neonatal period and hospital admissions. The Chi-square and Student’s t test were used for comparing variables.ResultsSeven hundred eligible infant-mother pairs were enrolled in the study. Eighty-seven of them (12.4%) were infants of gestational diabetic mothers and 613 (87.6%) were infants of non-diabetic mothers. The incidence of hypoglycemia at the first hour was higher in infants of diabetic mothers (12.8%) than in infants of non-diabetic mothers (5.3%) (P=0.014). Polycythemia was also more frequently observed in infants of the gestational diabetic mothers (9.3%) than in infants of the non-diabetic mothers (3.0%) (P=0.010). Although overall hospital admission rates were not different between the two groups, infants of diabetic mothers were more likely to be admitted because of resistant hypoglycemia (P=0.045).ConclusionsThe results of this study suggested that LGA infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus were at a greater risk for hypoglycemia and polycythemia in the early neonatal period than LGA infants of nondiabetic mothers.

The risk assessment study for hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in a University Hospital in Turkey.

Maternal red-cell alloimmunization occurs when a womans immune system is sensitized to foreign red-blood cell surface antigens, leading to the production of alloantibodies. The resulting antibodies often cross the placenta during pregnancies in sensitized women and, if the fetus is positive for red-blood-cell surface antigens, this will lead to hemolysis of fetal red-blood cells and anemia. The most severe cases of hemolytic disease in the fetus and newborn baby are caused by anti-D, anti-c, anti-E and anti-K antibodies. There are limited data available on immunization rates in pregnant women from Turkey. The aim of the present study was to provide data on the frequency and nature of maternal RBC alloimmunization in pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the indirect antiglobulin test results of Rh-negative pregnant women performed in our Blood Bank between 2006 and 2012. Indirect antiglobulin test positive women also underwent confirmatory antibody screening and identification. During the study period, 4840 women admitted to our antenatal clinics. With regards to the major blood group systems (ABO and Rh), the most common phenotype was O positive (38.67%). There were 4097 D-antigen-positive women (84.65%) and 743 women with D-antigen-negative phenotype (15.35%). The prevalence of alloimmunization was found to be 8.74% in D-antigen negative group. Despite prophylactic use of Rh immunglobulins, anti-D is still a common antibody identified as the major cause of alloimmunization in our study (anti-D antibody 68.57%, non-D antibody 31.42%). While alloimmunization rate to D antigen was 6.46%, non-D alloimmunization rate was 2.69% among Rh-negative pregnant women. Moreover, detailed identification facilities for antibodies other than anti-D are not available in most of centers across Turkey. However, large-scale studies on pregnant women need to be done in order to collect sufficient evidence to formulate guidelines and to define indications for alloantibody screening and identification.

Clinical use of fresh-frozen plasma in neonatal intensive care unit

Recommendations for FFP use in neonates are based on a very limited amount of data, and not on well-designed randomized controlled trials. This retrospective study was performed to analyze our experience with FFP use in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). From January 2006 until August 2011 a total of 80 neonates were identified as having been treated with FFP. The most common indication for FFP use was prolonged PT or aPTT, representing 32.8% of all usages of FFP. Following FFT treatment PT and aPTT normalized in 42% and 60% patients, respectively. Our results suggest that FFP were often used in acceptable indications in NICU.

Skinfold Thickness of Preterm Newborns When They Become Late Preterm Infants

BACKGROUND Nutrition of very low-birth-weight newborns is important for a good physical and neurologic outcome. Body composition assessment, together with anthropometric measurements, is considered necessary to monitor adequate nutrition and growth. Objectives of this study were to assess body fat changes in newborns ≤32 weeks gestation by weekly skinfold thickness (SFT) measurements and to compare them with those of late preterm infants born at 34, 35, and 36 weeks once they reached 34, 35, and 36 weeks corrected age (CA). MATERIALS AND METHODS Preterm infants ≤32 weeks gestation had SFT measured from 4 body sites, including biceps, triceps, and subscapulary and suprailiac regions, by a Holtain caliper starting from 48 hours of age at weekly intervals until 34, 35, and 36 weeks CA. The measurements were compared with those of late preterm controls born at 34, 35, and 36 weeks gestation. RESULTS There were 37 preterm infants in the patient group. When reaching 34, 35, and 36 weeks CA, preterm infants had higher SFT values compared with controls in all body sites. Median and range of total SFT were 14.6 mm (9.6-18.9 mm) in patients and 11 mm (7.8-16.4 mm) in controls at 34 weeks CA, 15.5 mm (10.7-21.8 mm) in patients and 12.3 mm (7-17 mm) in controls at 35 weeks CA, and 16.4 mm (11.8-23.7 mm) in patients and 12.9 mm (7-17.8 mm) in controls at 36 weeks CA (P = .001 in all). No sex difference was observed at 34 and 35 weeks. CONCLUSION These results show that preterm infants start accumulating excess fat even from early weeks of life. Careful assessment of growth by tools other than simple anthropometric measurements is essential to avoid future complications.

Preterm ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome presented with vaginal bleeding: a case report

Abstract Preterm ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (POHS) is an uncommon disorder characterized by prematurity, hypogastric and upper leg swelling of various intensities, high serum estradiol and gonadotropin levels, and ovarian follicular cyst/cysts. In this paper, we present the first case of POHS presenting with vaginal bleeding. A female infant was born via spontaneous vaginal delivery at 25 weeks of gestation with a birth weight of 610 g. At 36 weeks of post-conception age, she developed breast enlargement, swelling of the clitoral hood, labia major and minor, hypogastrium and upper legs. Several weeks later, vaginal bleeding started and lasted 3 days. The vaginal bleeding continued to occur at monthly intervals. The elevated levels of gonadotropins and estrogens, vulvar swelling and cysts in both ovaries confirmed the diagnosis of preterm ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Prevalence of iron deficiency at the first age of the infants hospitalized in neonatal period

Iron deficiency (ID) is a global health problem. We aimed to determine the prevalence of ID at the first year of life in infants who were hospitalized in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and investigate the effects of various factors on iron status. One year follow-up data of 219 infants who were discharged from NICU was retrospectively evaluated. ID anemia and ID without anemia were detected in fifteen infants (6.8%) and five (2.3%) infants, respectively. We concluded that, due to prophylactic iron treatment and close follow-up, hospitalization in neonatal period did not have any adverse effect on iron status at first year of life.

Effects of Volume Guaranteed Ventilation Combined with Two Different Modes in Preterm Infants

BACKGROUND: Volume-controlled ventilation modes have been shown to reduce duration of mechanical ventilation, incidence of chronic lung disease, failure of primary mode of ventilation, hypocarbia, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, pneumothorax, and periventricular leukomalacia in preterm infants when compared with pressure limited ventilation modes. Volume-guarantee (VG) ventilation is the most commonly used mode for volume-controlled ventilation. Assist control, pressure-support ventilation (PSV), and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) can be combined with VG; however, there is a lack of knowledge on the superiority of each regarding clinical outcomes. Therefore, we investigated the effects of SIMV+VG and PSV+VG on ventilatory parameters, pulmonary inflammation, morbidity, and mortality in preterm infants. METHODS: Preterm infants who were born in our hospital between 24–32 weeks gestation and needed mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome were considered eligible. Patients requiring high-frequency oscillatory ventilation for primary treatment were excluded. Subjects were randomized to either SIMV+VG or PSV+VG. Continuously recorded ventilatory parameters, clinical data, blood gas values, and tracheal aspirate cytokine levels were analyzed. RESULTS: The study enrolled 42 subjects. Clinical data were similar between groups. PSV+VG delivered closer tidal volumes to set tidal volumes (60% vs 49%, P = .02). Clinical data, including days on ventilation, morbidity, and mortality, were similar between groups. Chronic lung disease occurred less often and heart rate was lower in subjects who were ventilated with PSV+VG. The incidence of hypocarbia and hypercarbia were similar. Interleukin-1β in the tracheal aspirates increased during both modes. CONCLUSION: PSV+VG provided closer tidal volumes to the set value in ventilated preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome and was not associated with overventilation or a difference in mortality or morbidity when compared to SIMV+VG. Therefore, PSV+VG is a safe mode of mechanical ventilation to be used for respiratory distress syndrome.

Prophylactic and selective surfactant administration in preterm infants with 28 weeks and lower: a single center experience

Purpose:Although recent randomized and controlled trials have demonstrated that prophylactic or early surfactant administrations have better outcomes in high risk preterm infants compared to delayed or rescue surfactant treatment, there is no definitive answer for the question of best timing of surfactant application at different gestational ages. In this retrospective study, our goal is to retrospectively determine the effect of delivery room surfactant treatment on pneumothorax, intraventricular bleeding (IVK), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), chronic lung disease (CLD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), mortality and the duration of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization of each patient. Materials and methods:Preterm infants with a gestational age of 28 weeks and below who received surfactant between January 2006 and December 2010 were included in this study. Preterm infants were placed into either a prophylactic group (infants who received surfactant within fifteen minutes after birth) or selective group (infants who received surfactant therapy for established RDS) the groups were determined according to the time of surfactant replacement therapy. Results: There were 24 and 46 patients in the prophylactic and selective group respectively. Although the number of patients with pneumothorax was significantly lower in the prophylactic group (p=0.02), there was no significant difference between the two groups for IVK, PDA, CLD, NEC, the duration of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization and mortality rates. Conclusion: The prophylactic administration of surfactant decreased the incidence of pneumothorax significantly. However, there was no significant difference in mortality rates and neonatal outcomes between the two groups. We need further studies to determine the best timing of surfactant replacement. Pam Med J 2014;7(3):184-188