Purpose: To identify factors associated with the clinical response to low-dose dexamethasone therapy (LDDT) in preterm infants for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Methods: We used a retrospective medical record review to evaluate preterm infants who were born before 32 weeks of gestation or with a birth weight less than 1,500 g. All infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at a tertiary academic hospital between January 2010 and June 2019, and received LDDT for BPD. The preterm infants’ respiratory severity scores (RSS) were calculated from the first day of LDDT to the day of extubation, or the last day of LDDT. A good response was defined as a decreasing RSS with a slope greater than 0.181. A poor response was defined as a non-decreasing RSS, or a decreasing RSS with a slope less than 0.181 during LDDT. A total dose of 1.1 mg/kg was administered for 10 days for each single course of LDDT. Results: A total of 51 preterm infants were included in the final analysis. Thirty preterm infants (58.8 %) were in the good response group, and 21 preterm infants (41.2%) were in the poor response group. There were no significant differences in gestational age, birth weight, and sex between the good response group and poor response group. Preterm premature rupture of membrane and histologic chorioamnionitis were significantly associated with a poor response to LDDT. Higher RSS on the first day of the LDDT was associated with a good response to LDDT. Conclusion Antenatal infection and/or inflammation may be associated with an unfavorable response to postnatal LDDT for BPD. Preterm infants with more severe respiratory failure seem to benefit more from LDDT for BPD.

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

Pierre Robin sequence (PRS), also called Robin sequence, is a congenital anomaly characterized by a triad of micrognathia, glossoptosis, and upper airway obstruction. Infants with PRS can present with varying degrees of respiratory difficulty secondary to upper airway obstruction. There has been no consensus for the treatment of upper airway obstruction in infants with PRS, but recent studies recommend attempting non-surgical interventions before surgical treatment. In this case report, we present 3 cases of infants diagnosed with PRS who showed persistent respiratory difficulties after birth. Before considering surgical intervention, insertion of a nasopharyngeal airway was attempted in these infants. Following this procedure, symptoms of upper airway obstruction were relieved, and all infants were discharged without surgical interventions; the nasopharyngeal airway was removed 1 to 2 months later. To date, no infant has shown signs of upper airway obstruction. Nasopharyngeal airway insertion is a highly effective and less invasive treatment option for infants with PRS. However, it is not widely known and used in Korea. Nasopharyngeal airway insertion can be preferentially considered before surgical intervention for upper airway obstruction in such infants.
Airway Obstruction ; Consensus ; Glossoptosis ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Micrognathism ; Parturition ; Pierre Robin Syndrome

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence and clinical features of late-onset circulatory collapse (LCC) in preterm infants. METHODS: Medical records of 327 preterm infants (born before 32 gestational weeks) admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between January 2014 and December 2017 were reviewed. LCC was defined as sudden onset of refractory hypotension occurring after 7 days of life without obvious causes, which responded to glucocorticoid administration. Clinical characteristics and outcomes in infants with LCC were compared with those in infants with hypotension associated with identifiable causes, which developed after 7 days of life. RESULTS: Among 327 preterm infants who enrolled in this study, 65 infants developed hypotension with oliguria after 7 days of life. Among these 65 infants, 35 (53.8%) met the criteria for LCC and 30 (46.2%) were diagnosed with hypotension associated with other identifiable causes. No statistically significant differences were observed in the baseline pre- and perinatal characteristics between infants with LCC and those with hypotension associated with other causes. Infants with hypotension associated with other causes showed a higher mortality rate than those with LCC (33.3% vs. 5.7%, P=0.004). The mean gestational age and birth weight of infants with LCC were 27+5±2+1 weeks and 963±245 g, respectively. LCC occurred at a mean postnatal age of 18 days. The median body weight at the time of diagnosis of LCC was 1,200 g. No association was observed between LCC and gestational age. CONCLUSION: Among preterm infants born before 32 gestastional weeks who developed hypotension after 7 days of life, nearly 50% were diagnosed with LCC without apparent identifiable causes. Infants with LCC showed a lower mortality rate than those with hypotension associated with other causes.
Birth Weight ; Body Weight ; Diagnosis ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Oliguria ; Seoul ; Shock

PURPOSE: We assessed the influence of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) on the inhospital outcomes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) infants. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with singletons born at 23⁺⁰ to 33⁺⁶ weeks of gestation at Seoul National University Hospital from 2007 to 2014. We compared clinical outcomes between infants who received ACS 2 to 7 days before birth (complete ACS), at < 2 or >7 days (incomplete ACS), and those who did not receive ACS in IUGR and AGA infants. Multivariate logistic regression using Firth's penalized likelihood was performed. RESULTS: 304 neonates with 91 IUGR neonates were eligible. Among AGA neonates, mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.78), hypotension within 7 postnatal days (aOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.64), and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death (aOR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.77) were lower in complete ACS group after adjusting for pregnancy induced hypertension and uncontrolled preterm labor. Mortality (aOR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.78), hypotension (aOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.70), and severe BPD or death (aOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.92) were also lower in the incomplete ACS group. Among IUGR infants, after adjusting for birth weight and 5-minute Apgar score, inhaled nitric oxide use within 14 postnatal days was lower in both complete ACS (aOR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.67) and incomplete ACS (aOR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.37) groups. CONCLUSION: ACS was not effective in reducing morbidities in IUGR preterm infants.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones* ; Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Hypotension ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Nitric Oxide ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Odds Ratio ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Care ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Steroids

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) characterized by inflammatory intestinal necrosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in newborns. Deep RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has recently emerged as a powerful technology enabling better quantification of gene expression than microarrays with a lower background signal. A total of 10 transcriptomes from 5 pairs of NEC lesions and adjacent normal tissues obtained from preterm infants with NEC were analyzed. As a result, a total of 65 genes (57 down-regulated and 8 up-regulated) revealed significantly different expression levels in the NEC lesion compared to the adjacent normal region, based on a significance at fold change ≥ 1.5 and P ≤ 0.05. The most significant gene, DPF3 (P < 0.001), has recently been reported to have differential expressions in colon segments. Our gene ontology analysis between NEC lesion and adjacent normal tissues showed that down-regulated genes were included in nervous system development with the most significance (P = 9.3 × 10⁻⁷; P(corr) = 0.0003). In further pathway analysis using Pathway Express based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, genes involved in thyroid cancer and axon guidance were predicted to be associated with different expression (P(corr) = 0.008 and 0.020, respectively). Although further replications using a larger sample size and functional evaluations are needed, our results suggest that altered gene expression and the genes' involved functional pathways and categories may provide insight into NEC development and aid in future research.
Axons ; Colon ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing* ; Gene Expression Profiling* ; Gene Expression* ; Gene Ontology ; Genome ; Humans* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Mortality ; Necrosis ; Nervous System ; Pilot Projects* ; Sample Size ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Transcriptome

The aim of this study was to assess the differences in the mortality and in-hospital outcomes of preterm infants with < 28 weeks of gestation who received ibuprofen treatment according to the presence of clinical symptoms (any of oliguria, hypotension, or moderate to severe respiratory difficulty) attributable to hemodynamically-significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) at the time of first ibuprofen treatment. In total, 91 infants born from April 2010 to March 2015 were included. Fourteen infants (15.4%) received ibuprofen treatment when there were clinical symptoms due to hsPDA (clinical symptoms group). In clinical symptoms group, infants were younger (25 [23–27] vs. 26 [23–27] weeks; P = 0.012) and lighter (655 [500–930] vs. 880 [370–1,780] grams; P < 0.001). Also, the clinical risk index for babies (CRIB)-II scores were higher and more infants received invasive ventilator care ≤ 2 postnatal days. More infants received multiple courses of ibuprofen in clinical symptoms group. Although the frequency of secondary patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation and the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was higher in the clinical symptoms group in the univariate analysis, after multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for the CRIB-II score, birthweight, birth year, and the invasive ventilator care ≤ 2 postnatal days, there were no significant differences in mortality, frequency of secondary ligation and in-hospital outcomes including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), BPD or death. Our data suggest that we can hold off on PDA treatment until the clinical symptoms become prominent.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Ibuprofen* ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Ligation ; Logistic Models ; Mortality* ; Oliguria ; Parturition ; Patient Outcome Assessment ; Pregnancy ; Ventilators, Mechanical

Congenital lymphatic dysplasia is a rare congenital maldevelopment of the lymphatic system, in which dysfunction of the lymphatic system may cause leakage of lymph fluid into the limbs and the pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal cavity. We experienced a case of hydrops fetalis with subcutaneous lymphedema, chylothorax, chylous ascites and pericardial effusion. Lymphangiography revealed a critical defect of lymphatic system. Here, we report the first case of premature infant with congenital lymphatic dysplasia confirmed by lymphangiography, which is the first reported in Korea.
Chylothorax ; Chylous Ascites ; Edema* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Korea ; Lymphatic System ; Lymphedema ; Lymphography ; Pericardial Effusion ; Peritoneal Cavity

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of exclusive breast milk feeding (BMF) on the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants. METHODS: All newborn infants, born at <32 weeks of gestation and weighing <1,500 g, admitted to the neonatal intensive care center at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital during the study period, were included. The study was divided into period I: pre-exclusive BMF (January 2010–March 2014) and period II: exclusive BMF (April 2014–December 2016). RESULTS: A total of 374 infants were enrolled in this study, with 174 in period I and 174 in period II. The incidence of NEC was 11.5% in period I and 3.4% in period II. As the mean gestational age and birth weight were significantly greater in infants in period II, the difference in the incidence of NEC between the two periods was adjusted by gestational age. After adjustment, the incidence of NEC in period II was significantly lower than in period I (P=0.024). CONCLUSION: Exclusive BMF significantly reduced the incidence of NEC in a single neonatal intensive care center.
Birth Weight ; Breast* ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing* ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Milk, Human* ; Pregnancy ; Seoul

PURPOSE: We compared neurodevelopmental outcomes according to prenatal and postnatal growth patterns in preterm infants and evaluated the proper catch-up growth timing and risk factors that affect poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of preterm infants born at <32 weeks of gestational age or with <1,500 g of birth weight, who were tested with the Bayley scales of infant and toddler development, third edition (Bayley-III), at 8 and/or 18 months of corrected age in the outpatient clinic. Study populations were divided into four groups according to catch-up growth patterns, which were evaluated about <10th or ≥10th percentile at birth and at 8 or 18 months. RESULTS: In this study, 107 preterm infants were enrolled and 149 results of Bayley-III were analyzed. Infants whose lengths were within <10th percentile at birth had lower cognitive score than those whose lengths were ≥10th percentile at birth (P=0.007). The catch-up growth of length affected cognitive score (P<0.001), and the catch-up growth of head circumference affected cognitive (P<0.001) and motor scores (P=0.024). The catch-up growth of head circumference by 8 months than that by 18 months was more correlated to cognitive (R2=0.300 vs. 0.266, respectively) and motor development (R2=0.257 vs. 0.210, respectively) at 18 months. CONCLUSION: Appropriate body length at birth in preterm infants was significantly associated with optimal cognitive development. Catch-up growth of body length was related to cognitive development, while catch-up growth of head circumference was related to both cognitive and motor development. Earlier catch-up growth of head circumference was more critical for neurodevelopment than weight and length.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Birth Weight ; Electronic Health Records ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Parturition ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Weights and Measures