The Medically Complex Premature Infant in Primary Care

The survival rate of the smallest and youngest of premature infants has continued to improve as medical technology has progressed. The current edge of viability is represented by infants born at 23 to 25 weeks' gestation. Neonatal survival of infants at 23 weeks' gestation ranges from 11% to 30%. Survival to hospital discharge for infants ranging from 23 to 26 weeks' gestation is about 70%; 30% to 50% of these infants have moderate to severe disability. Nurse practitioners and physicians will be meeting these young infants in primary care offices after they have been discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit. This article is Part III in a series addressing issues related to the premature infant. This installment focuses on medically complex premature infants and their health issues after discharge. Part I addressed issues common to all premature infants. Part II looked at the healthy premature infant and their management in primary care.     

Sustainable use of continuous positive airway pressure in extremely preterm infants during the first week after delivery

BACKGROUND: Early use of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) may reduce lung damage, but it is not clear how many extremely preterm infants can be cared for without mechanical ventilation on the first days after delivery. OBJECTIVES: To describe our experience of nCPAP in infants born at <27 weeks' gestation and to determine the chance of reintubation of this group of extremely preterm infants. METHODS: A retrospective, observational study examined the period from November 2002 to October 2003, when efforts were made to extubate infants to nCPAP at the earliest opportunity. Data were collected on all infants born at <27 weeks' and gestation admitted to The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK. The chance of an individual infant requiring reintubation within 48 h of delivery was estimated, calculating the predictive probability using a Bayesian approach, and oxygen requirements at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age were examined. RESULTS: 60 infants, 34 inborn and 26 ex utero transfers, were admitted; 7 infants admitted 24 h after birth were excluded and 5 died within 48 h. The mean birth weight was 788 g and the gestational age was 25.3 weeks. Extubation was attempted on day 1 in 21 of 52 infants on ventilators and was successful in 14; and on day 2 in 14 of 35 and successful in 10 of infants extubated within 48 h of delivery survived to discharge. 5 of 23 infants on mechanical ventilation at 48 h of age were on air at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, and 12 of 26 of those were on nCPAP at 48 h of age. The probability of an individual baby remaining on nCPAP was 66% (95% CI 46% to 86%) on day 1 and 80% (95% CI 60% to 99%) on day 2. The smallest infant to be successfully extubated was 660 g and the youngest gestational age was 23.8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Extremely preterm infants can be extubated to nCPAP soon after delivery, with a reasonable probability of not requiring immediate reintubation.     

28-day survival rates of 6676 neonates with birth weights of 1250 grams or less

Survival rates specific for birth weight, gestational age, sex, and race are described for 6676 inborn neonates who weighed less than 1251 g at birth and were born during 1986 through 1987. Overall 28-day survival increased with gestational age and birth weight, from 36.5% at 24 weeks' gestation to 89.9% at 29 weeks' gestation, or from 30.0% for neonates of 500 through 599 g birth weight to 91.3% for neonates of 1200 through 1250 g. The expected birth weight-specific survival advantage for female neonates and black neonates diminished when the data were controlled for gestational age, showing that certain previously reported survival advantages are based on lower birth weight for a given gestational age. Multivariate analysis showed that all tested variables were significant predictors for survival, in order of descending significance: gestational age and birth weight, sex, race, single birth, and small-for-gestational-age status. The powerful effect of gestational age on survival highlights the need for an accurate neonatal tool to assess the gestational age of very low birth weight neonates after birth.     

Barrier properties of the newborn infant's skin

The barrier properties of the skin were examined in 223 studies in 70 newborn infants of 25 to 41 weeks' gestation, aged from 1 hour to 26 days. Percutaneous drug absorption was studied by observing the blanching response to solutions of 1% and 10% phenylephrine applied to a small area of abdominal skin. Skin water loss was measured at the same site using an evaporimeter. Infants of 37 weeks' gestation or more showed little or no drug absorption and had low skin water losses, indicating that their skin is an effective barrier. By contrast, infants of 32 weeks' gestation or less showed marked drug absorption and high skin water losses in the early neonatal period, indicating that their skin is defective as a barrier. Both drug absorption and water loss in these infants fell steadily; by about 2 weeks of age the skin of the most immature infants functioned like that of mature infants. The varying barrier properties can be explained by the poor development of the stratum corneum in the more premature infants at birth and its rapid maturation after birth. The trauma caused to the skin by use of adhesive tape and the fixation of transcutaneous oxygen electrodes resulted in increased drug absorption and water loss from the damaged area.     

中国多中心新生儿重症监护室胎龄小于34周早产儿出院前视网膜病变发生率的横断面调查

目的调查中国NICU胎龄34周早产儿视网膜病变(ROP)发生率。方法数据来源于"基于证据的质量改进方法降低我国新生儿重症监护室院内感染发生率的整群随机对照试验"所建立的早产儿临床数据库,收集25家三级NICU 2015年5月1日至2018年4月30日住院期间接受积极治疗、转出NICU或死亡前至少完成1次ROP筛查的胎龄34周早产儿的临床资料,分析不同胎龄及出生体重早产儿的ROP发生率、分期及治疗方式,并比较各单位间的差异。结果14 015例34周的早产儿在出院前或死亡前至少进行了1次ROP筛查,筛查阳性2 304例(16.4%),其中ROP1期1 092例(7.8%),ROP2期1 004例(7.2%),ROP 3～5期208例(1.5%)。胎龄28周早产儿ROP发生率为56.5%(578/1 023),3～5期ROP发生率为9.6%(98/1 023)。出生体重1 000 g和1 000～1 499 g早产儿ROP发生率分别为54.2%(465/858)和22.1%(1 411/6 381),3～5期ROP发生率分别为9.6%(82/858)和1.5%(95/6 381)。2 304例ROP早产儿在出院前188例(8.2%)接受治疗,其中眼内药物注射117例。各单位间ROP发生率存在显著差异。结论胎龄34周的早产儿的ROP发生率为16.4%,8.2%的ROP患儿接受治疗,其中62%采用玻璃体内注药,不同单位间ROP发生率差异显著。     

Late neurosonographic screening is important to the diagnosis of periventricular leukomalacia and ventricular enlargement in preterm infants

Background. Recent cost-containment strategies suggest limiting screening neurosonograms to the second week of life in premature infants with lower gestational ages (< 30 weeks), birth weights (< 1250 g), or more complicated clinical courses. Objective. To determine if such strategies reduce detection of cystic periventricular leukomalacia (cPVL) and persistent ventricular enlargement (pVE) – late sonographic abnormalities highly predictive of adverse neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Methods. Timing, findings, and number of neurosonograms were reviewed for all survivors born at K 32 weeks' gestation at University Hospital, Denver, Colo., between January 1992 and June 1995. Results. Of 236 surviving infants, 61 (26 %) were never scanned, and 175 (74 %) had a total of 432 scans. Only 106 infants (45 %) had a neurosonogram on or after 28 days (timed to detect all cPVL/pVE). Eleven infants (4.7 %) had cPVL, and 19 (8 %) had pVE. Severity of clinical course did not predict development of cPVL, but was a better predictor of pVE. Initial neurosonograms were normal in 6/11 (55 %) with cPVL and 5/19 (26 %) with pVE. Screening declined from 86 % of infants in 1992 (average 2.54 neurosonograms each), to 64 % by 1994–1995 (average of 2.22 neurosonograms each). Infants > 30 weeks' gestation comprised 55 of 61 patients without any neurosonograms (90 %), 4 of 11 patients with cPVL (36 %), and 4 of 19 patients with pVE (21 %). Conclusion. Screening neurosonography has declined from 1992 to 1995, particularly in larger premature infants (30–32 weeks' gestation) who remain at risk for cPVL and pVE. Clinical course or results of initial studies do not always predict the development of these late abnormalities. We recommend that one neurosonogram be done at L 4 weeks of age in all premature infants K 32 weeks' gestation, regardless of birth weight, clinical course, or results of prior studies. An earlier neurosonogram should be obtained for infants < 30 weeks' gestation in the second week of life to detect complications of intracranial hemorrhage. Received: 23 July 1998 Accepted: 29 October 1998     

Substrate utilization and kinetics of surfactant metabolism in evolving bronchopulmonary dysplasia

OBJECTIVES: To use stable isotopically labeled precursors of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids to measure precursor utilization and surfactant turnover in premature infants who required mechanical ventilation at birth, 2 weeks, and >4 weeks of age. STUDY DESIGN: Infants of < or =28 weeks' gestation received simultaneous 24-hour intravenous infusions of [1,2,3,4-13C4] palmitate and [1-13C1] acetate at birth, 2 weeks, and > or =4 weeks of life. Disaturated phospholipids were extracted from sequential tracheal aspirate samples obtained over a period of 2 weeks. Fractional catabolic rate (a measure of total turnover) and the fractional synthetic rates from plasma palmitate and de novo synthesis (acetate) were measured. RESULTS: The fractional catabolic rate increased from 25.3% +/- 7.0% per day at birth to 53.8% +/- 14.4% per day at 4 weeks (P=.001). The combined contribution from plasma palmitate and de novo synthesis to total synthesis increased from 44.2% +/- 19.8% at birth to 85.2% +/- 32.8% at 4 weeks (P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Total surfactant turnover increased in premature infants with evolving bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The increasing contributions from acetate and plasma palmitate suggest a decrease in surfactant phospholipid recycling.     

Effect of polyethylene occlusive skin wrapping on heat loss in very low birth weight infants at delivery: a randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: Significant evaporative heat loss in the very low birth weight infant can occur in the delivery room. We investigated the effect of polyethylene wrap applied immediately at birth (without drying) on rectal temperature measured at nursery admission. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-two consecutive infants delivered at <32 weeks' gestation were stratified by gestational age and randomly allocated to resuscitation with polyethylene wrap. All infants were resuscitated under radiant warmers. Wraps were removed on nursery admission. Rectal temperature was taken by digital electronic thermometer. RESULTS: Fifty-nine of 62 recruited infants completed the study. Maternal temperature, delivery room temperature, transfer-incubator temperature, and time to admission were recorded. Use of occlusive wrapping resulted in a significantly higher admission rectal temperature in infants <28 weeks' gestation (difference in means = 1.9 C, P <.001). No significant difference was seen in admission rectal temperature in infants of 28 to 31 weeks' gestation (difference in means = 0.17 C, P =.47). All 5 deaths were in the nonwrap group (vs wrap, P =.04); their mean temperature was 35.1 C versus 36.5 C in survivors (P =.001). CONCLUSIONS: Occlusive wrapping of very low birth weight infants at delivery reduces postnatal temperature fall. This may result in a decreased mortality rate.     

Survival and neonatal morbidity at the limits of viability in the mid 1990s: 22 to 25 weeks

OBJECTIVE: We determined neonatal survival and morbidity rates based on both fetal (stillborn) and neonatal deaths for infants delivered at 22 to 25 weeks' gestation. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred seventy-eight deliveries at 22 to 25 weeks' completed gestation were analyzed by gestational age groups between January 1993 and December 1997. Logistic regression models were used to identify maternal and neonatal factors associated with survival. RESULTS: The rate of fetal death was 24%; 76% of infants were born alive and 46% survived to discharge. Survival rates including fetal death at 22, 23, 24, and 25 weeks were 1.8%, 34%, 49%, and 76%; and survival rates excluding fetal death were 4.6%, 46%, 59%, and 82%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed that higher gestational age (P<.0002), higher birth weight (P<.001), female sex (P<.005), and surfactant (P<.003) were associated with neonatal survival. Cesarean section was associated with decreased survival (P <.006). CONCLUSION: Hospital neonatal survival rates of infants at the limits of viability are significantly lower with the inclusion of fetal deaths. This information should be considered when providing prognostic advice to families when mothers are in labor at 22 to 25 weeks' gestation.     

Managing "healthy" late preterm infants

Background:  Late preterm infants are often managed in nursery rooms despite the risks associated with prematurity. The objective of this study was to determine the risks facing late preterm infants admitted to nursery rooms and to establish a management strategy.
Methods:  A total of 210 late preterm infants and 2648 mature infants were assessed. Infants born at 35 and 36 weeks' gestation weighing ≥2000 grams admitted to a nursery room and not requiring medical intervention at birth were of particular interest. The admission rates to the neonatal intensive care unit were evaluated according to the chart review.
Results:  Infants born at 35 and 36 weeks' gestation weighing ≥2000 grams had significantly higher admission rates than term infants at birth (Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test, P < 0.001; common risk ratio, 4.27; 95% confidence interval, 2.41–7.55) and after birth ( P < 0.001; common risk ratio, 3.57; 95% confidence interval, 2.40–5.33). More than 80% of admissions from the nursery room to the neonatal intensive care unit after birth were due to apnea or hypoglycemia in neonates born at 35 and 36 weeks' gestation. The admission rates due to apnea increased with decreasing gestational age. The admission rates due to hypoglycemia with no cause other than prematurity accounted for 24.3% of admissions for those born at 35 weeks' gestation and 14.1% of admissions for those born at 36 weeks' gestation; hypoglycemia due to other causes accounted for fewer admissions.
Conclusion:  The management strategy for late preterm infants should be individualized, based on apnea and hypoglycemia. The respiratory state of late preterm infants should be monitored for at least 2 days, and they should be screened for hypoglycemia on postnatal day 0.     

Use of a polyethylene bag: a way to improve the thermal environment of the premature newborn at the delivery room]

BACKGROUND: Early interventions, such as occlusive wrapping of very low birth weight infants at delivery reduce postnatal temperature fall. This new intervention was implemented in our hospital on January 2000. The aim of this study was to investigate retrospectively the effect of polyethylene wrap, applied immediately at birth, on thermoregulation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Matched pair analysis was conducted for 60 infants delivered inborn at less than 33 weeks' gestation and 60 premature infants who were born during the second half of 1999 fulfilling the same criteria. The only difference in the management (medical and environmental) was wrapping with a polyethylene bag in the delivery room. Rectal temperature and other vital parameters were taken, after removal of wraps, on admission to NICU. RESULTS: The perinatal characteristics of both groups were comparable. Use of wrapping resulted in a significantly higher admission rectal temperature (difference in means = 0.8 degree C, p < 0.0001), this difference was also significant in infants < 30 weeks. The incidence of hypothermia (< 35.5 degrees C) was less frequent in infants enclosed in plastic bags (8.3% vs 55%). No side effects (skin burns, infection or hyperthermia) were attributable to the intervention. The heart rate was higher in the wrapping group (163 +/- 16 vs 150 +/- 17 b/min, p < 0.01), as well as the capillary glycemia (62 +/- 26 vs 45 +/- 30 mg/dl, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference on arterial pressure. CONCLUSION: Occlusive wrapping with a polyethylene bag at birth prevented low rectal temperature in premature infants in the immediate postnatal period. This method is easy, practical and effective, and does not interfere with current practice for resuscitation.     

Outcome of preterm infants with congenital heart disease

OBJECTIVES AND STUDY DESIGN: To evaluate the morbidity and mortality of preterm infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), a chart review was performed for infants with CHD, excluding isolated patent ductus arteriosus, who were <37 weeks' gestation, weighed <2500 g, and were admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit from 1976 to 1999 (N = 201). RESULTS: Patients in the study represented 1.9% of the total neonatal intensive care unit population <37 weeks' gestation and <2500 g. The median gestational age was 33 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 1852 g. CHD diagnosis frequencies were similar to those reported in other large incidence studies, except for a higher percentage of conotruncal defects. The risk of necrotizing enterocolitis was 1.7 times higher and the overall mortality twice as high in our patients compared with patients in the neonatal intensive care unit who did not have CHD. Cardiac surgery (n = 133) was performed on 108 patients. During the recent period of 1985 to 1999, compared with our institution's overall results for CHD surgery, the operative mortality rate was 10.4% versus 5.4% for closed procedures and 25.4% versus 10.5% for open procedures. The actuarial survival rate is 51% at 10 years; survival improved as the study period progressed. CONCLUSIONS: Infants with both CHD and prematurity did significantly worse than either group alone. Such outcome data are required for proper allocation of resources to care for this high-risk pediatric population.     

Neonatal and early postneonatal morbidity and mortality in a rural Guatemalan community: the importance of infectious diseases and their management

We conducted a 1-year longitudinal prospective study of infants born in a traditional rural indigenous community of Guatemala. Three hundred twenty-nine infants surviving birth and the first day of life were followed during the first 3 months of life. Surveillance included routine household and well baby clinic visits and clinic visits for minor illnesses. Detection of potentially lethal illnesses depended on orientation of families and midwives to important symptoms and to the need for immediate medical evaluation if such symptoms were identified. We identified 38 episodes of lethal and potentially lethal illness. Thirty-five (92%) of these episodes were infectious diseases, principally sepsis during the neonatal period and acute lower respiratory infection in Months 2 and 3. Of all study infants, low birth weight (less than 2500 g) infants comprised 14% and premature (less than 37 weeks gestation) infants comprised 1%. Premature infants had a relative risk of lethal and potentially lethal illnesses of 11.1 (95% confidence interval, 3.6 to 34.4) compared with normal term infants, and no premature infant survived the first 3 months of life despite medical intervention. Low birth weight infants had a relative risk of 3.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.5 to 6.6), but with medical intervention all but 2 survived. Despite their lower risk, because of their much greater number normal term infants experienced 60% of lethal and potentially lethal illnesses. Among all study infants medical intervention was associated with survival of 86% of lethal and potentially lethal infectious illnesses and with a rate of neonatal mortality among study children significantly lower than rates documented in previous years in the same community.     

Frequency and risk factors in bronchopulmonary dysplasia in a cohort of very low birth weight infants.

Frequency and perinatal risk factors in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were retrospectively evaluated in a cohort of 242 infants with birth weights less than 1501 g born in one hospital in 1990-1994. At 28 days' postnatal age, 30.7% (59/192) of the infants alive received oxygen supplementation and showed typical radiological changes in chest X-rays. At 36 weeks' corrected gestation, 13.0% (24/184) of the survivors fulfilled these criteria. In multivariate analysis, low birth weight and gestational age, male sex, packed red cell infusions and long duration of ventilator therapy were correlated with an increased risk of BPD at 28 days' postnatal age. Only 49% of the infants with BPD had had respiratory distress syndrome, and 49% of them recovered from BPD by 36 weeks' corrected gestational age. Preeclampsia, low birth weight, rapid birth weight recovery, packed red cell infusions, long duration of ventilator therapy, patent ductus arteriosus and hyperoxia were associated with BPD beyond 36 weeks' corrected gestation. No infant born small for gestational age recovered from BPD before 36 weeks' corrected gestation. The frequency of BPD at 28 days' postnatal age seems to be increasing, but half of the patients recover before term. Factors other than respiratory distress syndrome, especially small birth weight, early weight gain and possibly intrauterine growth retardation are becoming more important risk factors of BPD beyond 36 weeks' corrected gestation.     

新生儿血清EPO水平与孕周、日龄的关系

研究不同孕周出生的新生儿脐血及不同日龄静脉血的EPO水平 ,并分析其与贫血的关系 ,分别取 4 9例早产儿与 4 6例足月儿脐静脉血清 1ml;并对其中 1 8例早产儿于生后第 7天、1 4天、2 8天取静脉血清 1ml,对其中 1 7例足月儿于生后第 7天取静脉血 1ml,用ELISA方法检测EPO值 ,结果显示 :( 1 )早产儿与足月儿脐血EPO水平无显著差异 (P >0 0 5)。 ( 2 )足月儿生后第 7天血清EPO与脐血比较有显著差异 (P <0 0 0 1 )。早产儿生后第 7天、1 4天、2 8天EPO值与脐血比较明显降低 ,有极显著差异 (P <0 0 0 1 )。因此 ,初步结论 ,新生儿脐血EPO水平与孕周无关。新生儿生后 7天血中EPO水平迅速下降 ,早产儿下降幅度比足月儿更显著 ,持续下降到生后2 8天无上升趋势 ,早产儿贫血多发生在新生儿早期 ,与此时期血中EPO水平大幅度下降有关 ,故用rhEPO治疗早产儿贫血应早期应用。     

Effects of maternal isoxsuprine administration on preterm infants.

A retrospective study of all inborn infants at 26 to 35 weeks' gestational age delivered from August, 1976, through July, 1977, was undertaken to determine the effects on the neonate of maternal isoxsuprine therapy for premature labor. Mothers of 43 infants received ISX within 48 hours of delivery and mothers of 107 received no ISX. Hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, evidence of ileus, hypotension, and neonatal death were all significantly more common in infants whose mothers received ISX. Hypotension and death occurred predominantly in infants of 26 to 31 weeks' gestation and in infants whose mothers developed hypotension or tachycardia during ISX infusion. The frequency of hypotension and death decreased as the time interval from the loading dose of ISX to delivery increased.     

Non-viable delivery at 20-23 weeks gestation: observations and signs of life after birth

OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of labour, signs of life at birth, and duration of survival after delivery at 20-23 weeks gestation. DESIGN: An observational study using data from the Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy 1995-2000. SETTING: All deliveries to mothers resident in Trent Health Region. PATIENTS: 1306 babies delivered at 20-23 weeks gestation. RESULTS: Termination of pregnancy accounted for 33% of deliveries at 20-23 weeks; these were excluded from further analysis. Spontaneous delivery occurred at a frequency of 2.5/1000 deliveries; 30% died before the onset of labour, 27% died during labour, and 35% showed signs of life at birth. Of the latter, 8% were not registered as statutory live births. Of the live born infants, the largest group (39%) had a heart beat but no other signs of life. There was no trend for infants of lower gestation to show fewer signs of life. Duration of survival varied widely (median 60 minutes at 20-22 weeks), and this did not increase with gestation until 23 weeks (median six hours), probably because of selective treatment. Survival curves are presented for each gestation group. At 23 weeks, 4.5% survived to 1 year of age; all were > 500 g birth weight. Below 23 weeks gestation, none survived, and 94% had died within 4 hours of age. CONCLUSIONS: This information on surviving labour, signs of life at birth, duration of survival, and birth weight at 20-23 weeks gestation should help decision making in the management of pre-viable delivery.     

Procalcitonin in preterm infants during the first few days of life: introducing an age related nomogram

OBJECTIVE: To determine normal concentrations of procalcitonin in preterm infants shortly after birth and to assess its accuracy in detecting bacterial infection. METHODS: Blood samples of 100 preterm infants were prospectively drawn during the first 4 days of life for determination of procalcitonin concentration. Infants were classified into four groups according to their sepsis status. RESULTS: Mean (SD) gestational age and birth weight were 32 (2.9) weeks and 1682 (500) g respectively. A total of 283 procalcitonin concentrations from healthy infants were plotted to construct nomograms of physiologically raised procalcitonin concentration after birth, stratified by two groups to 24-30 and 31-36 weeks gestation. The peak 95th centile procalcitonin concentration was plotted at 28 hours of age; values return to normal after 4 days of life. Only 12 infants were infected, and 13 of their 16 procalcitonin concentrations after birth were higher than the 95th centile, whereas samples taken at birth were lower. In a multivariable analysis, gestational age, premature rupture of membrane, and sepsis status influenced procalcitonin concentration independently, but maternal infection status did not. CONCLUSIONS: The suggested neonatal nomograms of preterm infants are different from those of term infants. Procalcitonin concentrations exceeding the 95th centile may be helpful in detecting congenital infection, but not at birth.     

Higher mortality rates among inborn infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units at night

OBJECTIVE: To examine circadian variation in deaths among infants < or =32 weeks' gestation admitted to Canadian neonatal intensive care units (NICU). STUDY DESIGN: We examined all infants (n=5192) between 24 and 32 weeks' gestation with complete data, who were admitted to 17 tertiary Canadian Neonatal Network NICUs from January 1996 to October 1997. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare risk-adjusted early neonatal mortality rates (death within 7 days of NICU admission) of infants admitted during daytime (8 am to 5 pm) with infants admitted at night. RESULTS: Sixty percent (n=3131) of infants were admitted to the NICU at night. Patient risk factors significantly (P<.05) predictive of early neonatal death from multivariable logistic regression were male sex, outborn status, APGAR score <7 at 5 minutes, presence of congenital anomalies, low gestational age, and high admission Score for neonatal acute physiology, version II (SNAP-II). For inborn infants, in-house presence of a neonatal fellow or attending neonatologist at night (odds ratio, 0.6) and NICU admission at night (odds ratio, 1.6) were also predictive. CONCLUSIONS: Risk-adjusted early neonatal mortality odds was 60% higher among inborn infants < or =32 weeks' gestation admitted to NICUs at night compared with during daytime, equivalent to 29 excess deaths per 1000 infants.     

New perspectives in the nutrition of premature and low birth weight infants

In summary the following can be stated: (1) The comparable large number of premature and low birth weight infants leads in many countries to a public health problem. (2) Prematurity is an unphysiological state which causes some peculiarities in digestive and metabolic functions which in turn have implications on nutrition. (3) Under normal circumstances an intake of about 115-130 kcal/kg b.w./day meets the energy requirements. (4) For the so-called healthy low birth weight infant with a birth weight of 1.5 kg or more 2.9 to g protein/kg b.w./day seem to be adequate. Small for gestational age infants tolerate higher, severely ill low or very low birth weight infants only much smaller amounts or protein. (5) Quality of gain in weight has become a central issue in neonatal nutrition. Data available so far indicate the key role of energy and protein intake. (6) Due to the high requirements for growth the premature and low birth weight infant has greater needs for almost all other nutrients compared to term infants. (7) If human milk is fed - whether from the infant's own mother or pooled - it should at least be supplemented with protein, calcium, phosphorus and sodium as otherwise the high requirements could not be covered. (8) The scientific work done over the last decade has made available so-called premature formulas. (9) Only a very few bodies have issued guidelines on the nutrition of low birth weight infants, the most comprehensive one which has just been published by the ESPGAN. (10) Clinical trials with a premature formula which was formulated according to those guidelines confirmed the theoretical considerations of ESPGAN. (11) Final goals for nutrition of premature and low birth weight infants remain to be clarified by future scientific work. There is, however, considerable evidence that the diet fed to premature or low birth weight infants influences their future quality of life.