Risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Small for Gestational Age Premature Infants.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence, risk factors and severity of retinopathy of prematurity in neonatal intensive care unit and to evaluate its relationship with gestational age. Methods: Cohort study of neonates with gestational age ≤32 weeks or birthweight ≤1500g. Results: Of the 495 neonates screened, 43 (8.7%) infants were small for gestational age; the frequency of severe retinopathy of prematurity was 5.8%. Sepsis and being small for gestational age were independent risk factors for severe retinopathy of prematurity. Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware of the presence of presence of retinopathy of prematurity when caring for protein small for gestational age infants.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight infants.

Objective. To determine the risk factors for development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) by evaluating mild and moderate/severe BPD in extramural neonates with a birth weight <1501 g. Methods. A case-control study was conducted between January 1, 2004- December 31, 2006. Patients with BPD and without BPD were compared. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was diagnosed and classified according to the Bancalari criteria. One-hundred and six (106) extramural premature infants with a birth weight <1501 g and admitted to the Neonatal Unit in the first three days of life and survived for more than 28 postnatal days were included. Patients with multiple congenital anomalies and complex cardiac pathologies were excluded. The maternal and neonatal risk factors, clinical features, mechanical ventilation treatment were compared. The principal risk factors for BPD development were analyzed and followed by logistic regression test. Results. The diagnosis was mild BPD in 27 of the 106 patients and moderate/severe BPD in 29. The incidence of BPD was 52.8%. Fifty of 106 patients had no BPD. Analysis of risk factors revealed that gestational age ≤28 weeks (p=0.019), birth weight ≤1000 g (p=0.007), hypothermia (p=0.003), acidosis (p=0.003) and hypotension (p=0.005) at admission, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) ( p<0.001), mechanical ventilation therapy (p<0.001), surfactant therapy (p=0.005), higher amount of mean fluid therapy on 7th days (p=0.008), nosocomial infection (p<0.001), higher amount of mean packed red cell transfusions (p<0.001) and more than two packed red cell transfusions (p=0.033) were risk factors associated with the development of BPD. Multivariant logistic regression analysis showed acidosis at admission (OR 5.12, 95%CI 1.17–22.27, p=0.029), surfactant treatment (OR 7.53, 95%CI 2.14–26.45, p=0.002), nosocomial infections (OR 4.66, 95%CI 1.27–17.12, p=0.02) and PDA (OR 9.60, 95%CI 2.23–41.22, p=0.002) were risk factors increasing the severity of BPD. Conclusion. The most important risk factors for BPD development in our study were RDS and nosocomial infections while the presence of acidosis at admission, surfactant administration, nosocomial infections and the presence of PDA were the most important risk factors regarding BPD severity. Presence of acidosis at admission as a risk factor emphasized the importance of suitable transport conditions for premature infants.

Persistent pulmonary interstitial emphysema in a preterm infant.

Persistent pulmonary interstitial emphysema is a chronic disease reported in mechanically ventilated premature newborns. We describe a case of localized persistent pulmonary interstitial emphysema in a preterm infant without mechanical ventilation but on continuous positive airway pressure using nasal prongs. The condition resolved without surgery.

Glanzmann thrombasthenia in a neonate.

Glanzmann thrombasthenia is a qualitative platelet function disorder manifested by skin bleeds, epistaxis, gingival bleeding, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hematuria, hemarthrosis, intracranial hemorrhage and visceral hematomas. We report a six day old newborn presenting with hematuria following suprapubic aspiration, who was diagnosed as Glanzmann thrombasthenia. We believe it to be the youngest case reported in the literature.

Neonatal jaundice and splenic hematoma.

In the newborn period, unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia (UHB) is common, multifactoral, and associated with a variety of physiologic and pathologic conditions. The most commonly identified pathologic cause leading to hyperbilirubinemia is hemolytic disease of the newborn. We report a five-days-old female infant with neonatal jaundice secondary to splenic hematoma.