ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of nursing interventions on reducing the hospital infection rates in children with extremely low birth weight. MethodsA total of 158 children with extremely low birth weight were treated in our hospital from January 2012 to June 2013. Based on the routine care, we took a series of other nursing interventions, such as strengthening environmental management, strict materials management and disinfection, active prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related bloodstream infections, close monitoring of a series of isolated neonatal care interventions, to reduce the nosocomial infections in these children. ResultsThe hospital infection rate of this group of children was 9.49%, and the rate of infection cases was 10.76%. The infection sites included blood system, respiratory tract, digestive tract, mouth and eye. The patients were improved or cured after anti-infection and symptomatic treatment and caring measures. ConclusionScientific nursing interventions can reduce the incidence of nosocomial infection in children with extremely low birth weight.
ObjectiveTo analyze the early outcomes of 203 neonates with low birth weight (<2 500 g) undergoing cardiac surgery, and to analyze the causes of death during hospitalization.MethodsFrom June 2003 to June 2017, medical records of 203 neonates with low birth weight undergoing congenital heart surgery in Guangdong General Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. There were 124 males and 79 females, including 151 premature infants. The average birth weight was 1 719±515 g, the average age at operation was 32.7±20.2 d and the average weight at operation was 1 994±486 g. The causes of death during hospitalization (including neonates given up on treatments) were analyzed.ResultsTotally 103 patients had pneumonia, 98 patients needed mechanical ventilation to support breathing and 26 patients needed emergency operation before operation. All patients undergoing congenital heart surgery were treated with general anesthesia with tracheal intubation, including 107 patients under non cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and 96 patients under CPB with a mean CPB time of 96.5±71.7 min and a mean aorta cross-clamp time of 51.8±45.5 min. The average postoperative mechanical ventilation time was 9.1±21.5 d and the average postoperative length of stay was 26.7±19.3 d. The major postoperative complications included pneumonia, anemia, atelectasis, septicemia, intrapleural hemorrhage, diaphragm paralysis and cardiac dysfunction. Twenty-nine patients died during hospitalization and the overall mortality rate was 14.3%. Four patients died in the operation room, 14 patients died 72 hours after operation and 2 patients were given up. The main causes of hospitalized death were low cardiac output syndrome, severe infection, disseminated intravascular coagulation disorder, acute renal failure and pulmonary hypertension crisis.ConclusionOverall, early cardiac surgery for low birth weight neonates is safe and effective. The difficulty of the cardiac surgery is the key to the prognosis. Strengthening perioperative management can improve the quality of operation and reduce the risk of mortality and morbidity during hospitalization.
Kangaroo mother care has reduced mortality and morbidity in preterm and low birth weight infants and has many benefits, such as promoting breastfeeding. Based on the current evidence in China and internationally, we developed clinical practice guidelines for kangaroo mother care in preterm and low birth weight infants using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), and proposed 34 recommendations for 20 key questions. Our goal is to promote the appropriate implementation of kangaroo mother care in clinical practice.
ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between peripheral blood inflammatory markers and the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI), and to preliminarily evaluate their predictive value for ROP. MethodsA retrospective clinical study. A total of 191 ELBWI who were born at The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between January 2018 and December 2023 were enrolled. According to the presence or absence of inflammation-related diseases (necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, neonatal sepsis), infants were divided into an inflammation-related disease group (144 cases) and a non-inflammation-related disease group (47 cases). Clinical data and peripheral blood inflammatory markers at 7, 14, and 28 days after birth, including white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) that were compared between the two groups, as well as between infants with and without ROP within the inflammation-related disease group. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with the occurrence of ROP. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to assess the predictive performance of the combined model, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was applied to evaluate its potential clinical utility. ResultsAmong the 191 infants included, 80 cases were diagnosed with ROP (41.9%, 80/191). The incidence of ROP was 68/144 (47.22%) in the inflammation-related disease group and 12/47 (25.53%) in the non-inflammation-related disease group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (χ2=6.849, P=0.010). In the inflammation-related disease group, compared with infants without ROP, those with ROP had lower birth weight (Z=?2.591) and gestational age (Z=?2.942), a lower proportion of cesarean delivery (χ2=5.846), longer durations of invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation (Z=?2.500, ?2.057), and a higher incidence of patent ductus arteriosus (χ2=4.598) (P＜0.05). Levels of inflammatory markers were significantly higher in the ROP group, including WBC and SII at 7 days (Z=?2.85, ?2.565), SII at 14 days (Z=?2.531), and WBC, NLR, and SII at 28 days after birth (Z=?2.385, ?3.051, ?2.719; P＜0.05). In contrast, CRP levels at 7, 14, and 28 days did not differ significantly between ROP and non-ROP infants (Z=?1.550, ?0.796, ?0.132; P＞0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that decreased birth weight [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.990-0.998] and increased WBC at 7 days (95%CI 1.004-1.129) and SII at 28 days (95%CI 1.001-1.006) after birth were independent related factors for the occurrence of ROP (P＜0.05). ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve for predicting ROP by combining birth weight, WBC at 7 days after birth, and SII at 28 days was 0.71, with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 44%. DCA shows that when the risk threshold is 31% to 98%, this combined prediction model has a positive net clinical benefit. In the non-inflammation-related disease group, only birth weight was negatively correlated with the occurrence of ROP (95%CI 0.975-0.996, P=0.005). ConclusionsIn ELBWI patients with inflammation-related diseases, the levels of peripheral blood WBC and SII are associated with the occurrence of ROP. The combination of birth weight and inflammatory indicators at specific time points has certain predictive value for ROP.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the potential risk factors with incidence and degree of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants with very low birth weight.MethodsThe clinical data of 130 premature infants with birth weight ≤1500 g recorded in Peking University People′s Hospital from July 2002 to April 2004 were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThere were 60 infants in ROP group and 70 infants in control group. The mean birth weight and gestational age was (1256.3±196.8) g and (29.583 3±1.543 6) weeks in ROP group, and (1337.8±146) g and (31.217 4±2.430 6) weeks in control group, respectively. In 39 ecdemic infants, 32 were found with ROP (82.1%, 1 with mild and 31 with severe ROP) while in 91 local infants, 28 were found with ROP (30.8%, 15 with mild and 13 with severe ROP). The time of the first examination in infants with mild ROP was (36.062 5±2.909 0) weeks, which was significantly earlier than (59.477 3±33.604 0) weeks in the ones with severe ROP. The time of the first examination and surgery was earlier in non vitrectomy group than in nonvitrectomy group.ConclusionLow birth weight is the high risk factor in ROP. Incidence of ROP is higher in ecdemic infants. The severity of ROP correlates with time of first examination, and the way of surgery is relative to time of the first examination and surgery.(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,2005,21:275-277)