Objective: To describe the current status and trends in the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) among very preterm infants (VPI) admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) of the Chinese Neonatal Network (CHNN) from 2019 to 2021, and to compare the differences in PDA treatment among these units. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on the CHNN VPI cohort, all of 22 525 VPI (gestational age<32 weeks) admitted to 79 tertiary NICU within 3 days of age from 2019 to 2021 were included. The overall PDA treatment rates were calculated, as well as the rates of infants with different gestational ages (≤26, 27-28, 29-31 weeks), and pharmacological and surgical treatments were described. PDA was defined as those diagnosed by echocardiography during hospitalization. The PDA treatment rate was defined as the number of VPI who had received medication treatment and (or) surgical ligation of PDA divided by the number of all VPI. Logistic regression was used to investigate the changes in PDA treatment rates over the 3 years and the differences between gestational age groups. A multivariate Logistic regression model was constructed to compute the standardized ratio (SR) of PDA treatment across different units, to compare the rates after adjusting for population characteristics. Results: A total of 22 525 VPI were included in the study, with a gestational age of 30.0 (28.6, 31.0) weeks and birth weight of 1 310 (1 100, 1 540) g; 56.0% (12 615) of them were male. PDA was diagnosed by echocardiography in 49.7% (11 186/22 525) of all VPI, and the overall PDA treatment rate was 16.8% (3 795/22 525). Of 3 762 VPI who received medication treatment, the main first-line medication used was ibuprofen (93.4% (3 515/3 762)) and the postnatal day of first medication treatment was 6 (4, 10) days of age; 59.3% (2 231/3 762) of the VPI had been weaned from invasive respiratory support during the first medication treatment, and 82.2% (3 092/3 762) of the infants received only one course of medication treatment. A total of 143 VPI underwent surgery, which was conducted on 32 (22, 46) days of age. Over the 3 years from 2019 to 2021, there was no significant change in the PDA treatment rate in these VPI (P=0.650). The PDA treatment rate decreased with increasing gestational age (P<0.001). The PDA treatment rates for VPI with gestational age ≤26, 27-28, and 29-31 weeks were 39.6% (688/1 737), 25.9% (1 319/5 098), and 11.4% (1 788/15 690), respectively. There were 61 units having a total number of VPI≥100 cases, and their rates of PDA treatment were 0 (0/116)-47.4% (376/793). After adjusting for population characteristics, the range of standardized ratios for PDA treatment in the 61 units was 0 (95%CI 0-0.3) to 3.4 (95%CI 3.1-3.8). Conclusions: From 2019 to 2021, compared to the peers in developed countries, VPI in CHNN NICU had a different PDA treatment rate; specifically, the VPI with small birth gestational age had a lower treatment rate, while the VPI with large birth gestational age had a higher rate. There are significant differences in PDA treatment rates among different units.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/drug therapy* ; Infant, Premature ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ibuprofen/therapeutic use* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Persistent Fetal Circulation Syndrome ; Infant, Premature, Diseases/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To study the risk factors for the first ventilator weaning failure and the relationship between the weaning failure and prognosis in preterm infants receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the preterm infants who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Peking University Third Hospital and received mechanical ventilation within 72 hours after birth. According to whether reintubation was required within 72 hours after the first weaning, the infants were divided into a successful weaning group and a failed weaning group. RESULTS: A total of 282 preterm infants were enrolled, and there were 43 infants (15.2%) in the failed weaning group. Compared with the successful weaning group, the failed weaning group had significantly lower gestational age and birth weight ( CONCLUSIONS Use of ≥ 2 vasoactive agents before ventilator weaning and PDA (≥ 2.5 mm) are risk factors for ventilator weaning failure, and ventilator weaning failure may be associated with adverse outcomes in hospitalized preterm infants.
Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/therapy* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Ventilator Weaning

Congenital absent sternum is a rare birth defect that requires early intervention for optimal long-term outcomes. Descriptions of the repair of absent sternum are limited to case reports, and no preferred method for management has been described. Herein, we describe the use of porcine acellular dermal matrix to reconstruct the sternum of an infant with sternal infection following attempted repair using synthetic mesh. The patient was a full-term male with trisomy 21, agenesis of corpus callosum, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, right-sided aortic arch, and congenital absence of sternum with no sternal bars. Following removal of the infected synthetic mesh, negative pressure wound therapy with instillation was used to manage the open wound and provide direct antibiotic therapy. When blood C-reactive protein levels declined to ≤2 mg/L, the sternum was reconstructed using porcine acellular dermal matrix. At 21 months postoperative, the patient demonstrated no respiratory issues. Physical examination and computed tomography imaging identified good approximation of the clavicular heads and sternal cleft and forward curvature of the ribs. This case illustrates the benefits of negative pressure wound therapy and acellular dermal matrix for the reconstruction of absent sternum in the context of infected sternal surgical site previously repaired with synthetic mesh.
Acellular Dermis ; Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Aorta, Thoracic ; C-Reactive Protein ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Down Syndrome ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Head ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Methods ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy ; Physical Examination ; Ribs ; Sternum ; Surgical Mesh ; Thoracic Surgery ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: To investigate the incidence of surgical intervention in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and the impact of surgery on neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected ages (CAs) of 18–24 months, using data from the Korean Neonatal Network (KNN). METHODS: Data from 7,885 VLBW infants who were born and registered with the KNN between 2013 to 2016 were analyzed in this study. The incidences of various surgical interventions and related morbidities were analyzed. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes at CAs of 18–24 months were compared between infants (born during 2013 to 2015, n = 3,777) with and without surgery. RESULTS: A total of 1,509 out of 7,885 (19.1%) infants received surgical interventions during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization. Surgical ligation of patent ductus arteriosus (n = 840) was most frequently performed, followed by laser therapy for retinopathy of prematurity and laparotomy due to intestinal perforation. Infants who underwent surgery had higher mortality rates and greater neurodevelopmental impairment than infants who did not undergo surgery (P value < 0.01, both). On multivariate analysis, single or multiple surgeries increased the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment compared to no surgery with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 1.6 with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.1–2.6 and 2.3 with 95% CI of 1.1–4.9. CONCLUSION: Approximately one fifth of VLBW infants underwent one or more surgical interventions during NICU hospitalization. The impact of surgical intervention on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes was sustained over a follow-up of CA 18–24 months. Infants with multiple surgeries had an increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment compared to infants with single surgeries or no surgeries after adjustment for possible confounders.
Cohort Studies ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Intestinal Perforation ; Korea ; Laparotomy ; Laser Therapy ; Ligation ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Retinopathy of Prematurity

OBJECTIVETo study the treatment and prognosis of pulmonary hemorrhage in preterm infants.

METHODSA total of 106 preterm infants diagnosed with pulmonary hemorrhage, who were hospitalized in the neonatal ward of Peking University Third Hospital between 2007 and 2016, were enrolled. These patients were divided into 2007-2011 group (34 cases) and 2012-2016 group (72 cases) according to the time of hospitalization, divided into conventional-frequency ventilation group (43 cases) and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) group (63 cases) according to the respiratory support method used after the development of pulmonary hemorrhage, and divided into non-operation group (34 cases) and operation group (14 cases) according to whether PDA ligation was performed for the unclosed PDA before pulmonary hemorrhage. The general data, treatment, and prognosis were compared between different groups.

RESULTSCompared with the 2007-2011 group, the 2012-2016 group had higher rates of HFOV and PDA ligation (P<0.05), a lower mortality rate during hospitalization (P<0.05), a longer length of hospital stay (P<0.05), and higher incidence rates of intracranial hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional-frequency ventilation group, the HFOV group had a lower mortality rate during hospitalization (P<0.05), a longer length of hospital stay (P<0.05), and higher incidence rates of intracranial hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). Compared with the non-operation group, the operation group had a lower mortality rate during hospitalization (P<0.05), a longer length of hospital stay (P<0.05), and higher incidence rates of intracranial hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe application of HFOV and PDA ligation can improve the survival rate of preterm infants with pulmonary hemorrhage, but the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia is also increased.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; epidemiology ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; epidemiology ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; surgery ; Hemorrhage ; mortality ; therapy ; High-Frequency Ventilation ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Length of Stay ; Ligation ; Lung Diseases ; mortality ; therapy ; Prognosis ; Time Factors

Neonates have large inter-individual variability in pharmacokinetic parameters of many drugs due to developmental differences. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the pharmacokinetic parameters of drugs, which are commonly used in critically ill neonates. Factors that reflect physiologic maturation such as gestational age, postnatal age, postconceptional age, birth weight, and current body weight were correlated with pharmacokinetic parameters in neonates, especially preterm infants. Comorbidity characteristics affecting pharmacokinetics in critically ill neonates were perinatal asphyxia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and renal dysfunction. Administration of indomethacin or ibuprofen in neonates with PDA was associated with the reduced clearance of renally excreted drugs such as vancomycin and amikacin. Therapeutic hypothermia and extracoporeal membrane oxygenation were influencing factors on pharmacokinetic parameters in critically ill neonates. Dosing adjustment and careful monitoring according to the factors affecting pharmacokinetic variability is required for safe and effective pharmacotherapy in neonatal intensive care unit.
Amikacin ; Asphyxia ; Birth Weight ; Body Weight ; Comorbidity ; Critical Illness* ; Drug Therapy ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; Ibuprofen ; Indomethacin ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Membranes ; Oxygen ; Pharmacokinetics ; Vancomycin

OBJECTIVETo investigate the factors influencing the prognosis of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

METHODSA total of 194 VLBW infants who were admitted from January 2012 to December 2014 were enrolled as study subjects. According to cardiac ultrasound findings and treatment outcome, these infants were divided into non-PDA group, spontaneous closure group, pharmaceutical closure group, and surgical closure group. Their clinical and echocardiographic characteristics were analyzed.

RESULTSThe spontaneous closure rate of PDA was 58.7%. The spontaneous closure group showed significantly higher gestational age, birth weight, and proportion of small-for-gestational-age infants than the pharmaceutical and surgical closure groups (P<0.05). The pharmaceutical and surgical closure groups had a significantly higher incidence rate of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and a significantly higher proportion of infants who were given pulmonary surfactant (PS) than the spontaneous closure group (P<0.05). During different periods of time, the spontaneous closure group had a significantly smaller ductus arteriosus diameter than the pharmaceutical and surgical closure groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gestational age, application of PS, and ductus arteriosus diameter at 48 hours were significantly associated with the prognosis of PDA. The major transductal flow pattern in the spontaneous closure group was closing pattern, while in the pharmaceutical and surgical closure groups, the main flow patterns were pulmonary hypertension and growing patterns within 48 hours and growing pattern on days 4 and 7.

CONCLUSIONSThe VLBW infants have a high spontaneous closure rate of PDA. A decreased closure rate of PDA is associated with the lower gestational age and the application of PS. PDA with a large ductus arteriosus diameter and a growing or pulsatile flow pattern cannot easily achieve spontaneous closure.

Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Male ; Prognosis

Disease Management ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Premature, Diseases ; therapy

PURPOSE: Thyroid dysfunction is common in preterm infants. Congenital hypothyroidism causes neurodevelopmental impairment, which is preventable if properly treated. This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of thyroid dysfunction in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs), evaluate risk factors of hypothyroidism, and suggest the reassessment of thyroid function with an initially normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) as part of a newborn screening test. METHODS: VLBWIs (January 2010 to December 2012) were divided into two groups according to dysfunction-specific thyroid hormone replacement therapy, and associated factors were evaluated. RESULTS: Of VLBWIs, 246 survivors were enrolled. Only 12.2% (30/246) of enrolled subjects exhibited thyroid dysfunction requiring thyroid hormone replacement. Moreover, only one out of 30 subjects who required thyroid hormone treatment had abnormal thyroid function in the newborn screening test with measured TSH. Most of the subjects in the treatment group (22/30) exhibited delayed TSH elevation. Gestational age, Apgar score, antenatal steroids therapy, respiratory distress syndrome, patent ductus arteriosus, sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, postnatal steroids therapy, and duration of mechanical ventilation did not differ between the two groups. Birth weight was smaller and infants with small for gestational age were more frequent in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Physicians should not rule out suggested hypothyroidism, even when thyroid function of a newborn screening test is normal. We suggest retesting TSH and free thyroxine in high risk preterm infants with an initially normal TSH level using a newborn screening test.
Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Congenital Hypothyroidism ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Mass Screening ; Neonatal Screening ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Therapy ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis ; Steroids ; Survivors ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine

Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; therapeutic use ; Peptide Fragments ; therapeutic use