Neonatal Intensive Care News and Research

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Standardized care for premature infants during first week of life improves survival rates

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit created the Golden Week program to improve outcomes for infants born prematurely at 28 weeks' gestation or earlier.

23 Jun 2017

Pediatric nurses with poor work environments, higher patient loads more likely to miss care

In a new study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcome and Policy Research and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia examined the factors influencing the likelihood of missed nursing care in a pediatric setting.

14 Jun 2017

Newborns of mothers with sleep apnea have higher risk of congenital anomalies, resuscitation at birth

A new study is the first to demonstrate a higher risk of congenital anomalies and resuscitation at birth in newborns of mothers who have obstructive sleep apnea.

5 Jun 2017

Handshake-free zone: keep those hands — and germs — to yourself in the hospital

Dr. Mark Sklansky, a self-described germaphobe, can't stop thinking about how quickly those little microbes can spread.

31 May 2017

New discovery may be key to stopping shortages of vital blood-clotting cells

The emergency call issued by the American Red Cross earlier this year was of a sort all too common: Donations of platelets were needed, and desperately.

19 May 2017

Breast-feeding may aid development of white matter structures in the brains of premature babies

To the growing list of reasons why mothers should consider breast-feeding infants, add another: Critical white matter structures in the brains of babies who are born so prematurely that they weigh less than 1,500 grams develop more robustly when their mothers breast-feed them, compared with preemie peers who are fed formula.

4 May 2017

Simulations of care, worst-case scenarios can improve confidence among parents of infants in NICU

Anxiety is a common emotion experienced by first-time parents, one that is felt even more so among parents of newborns being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit.

25 Apr 2017

Innovative system allows parents to conduct 'virtual visits' with infants in NICU

Being apart from your newborn while he or she is cared for the in the neonatal intensive care unitcan be heart-wrenching. To make the separation a little bit easier, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, has introduced an innovative system that allows parents and extended family members to conduct "virtual visits" with their little ones via webcam.

20 Apr 2017

Weather-forecast tool can help improve assessment and treatment of newborns with asphyxia

UT Southwestern Medical Center pediatric researchers have harnessed an analytical tool used to predict the weather to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies to reduce brain injury in newborns who suffer oxygen deprivation during birth.

10 Apr 2017

Mothers with history of mental health disorders feel less ready for discharge from NICU, research shows

Each year, more than 450,000 babies are born preterm in the U.S., many of whom spend days, weeks or even months in a neonatal intensive care unit.

28 Mar 2017

Study evaluates screening and treatment for subclinical thyroid disease during pregnancy

Observational studies over the past 30 years suggest that subclinical thyroid disease during pregnancy may be associated with adverse outcomes, including a lower-than-normal IQ in offspring.

22 Mar 2017

‘Supportive touch’ experiences can help preterm infants in NICU respond better, research suggests

Treatment in the nation's Neonatal Intensive Care Units save millions of infants born prematurely every year. But this treatment is not without cost. Painful procedures such as needle pricks can impact early brain development.

22 Mar 2017

Many newborns not frequently assessed for continuous pain in neonatal intensive care units, study finds

In an analysis of 243 neonatal intensive care units from 18 European countries, investigators found that only 2113 of 6648 (31.8%) newborns were assessed for prolonged, continuous pain. Daily assessments of continuous pain occurred in only 10.4% of newborns.

6 Mar 2017

Neonatal sepsis risk calculator reduces antibiotic use by nearly 50% in newborns

Kaiser Permanente, the largest integrated health system in the nation, led the development of a neonatal sepsis risk calculator that has safely reduced antibiotic use by nearly 50 percent in newborns, according to research published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

21 Feb 2017

Study finds improvements in survival and neurodevelopment of preterm babies

Babies born at just 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy continue to have sobering outlooks -- only about 1 in 3 survive.

16 Feb 2017

Low birth weight babies more likely to experience mental health problems later in life, research finds

Babies born with extremely low birth weight are not only at risk for physical problems but are also more likely to experience mental health problems later in life, according to an analysis of research conducted over nearly 30 years.

13 Feb 2017

Study focuses on sound exposure for premature babies in neonatal intensive care units

Premature babies often spend the first several weeks of life in neonatal intensive care units, where, ideally, they are protected from too much noise stimulation. However, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that preemies may be exposed to noise levels higher than those deemed safe by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

8 Feb 2017