ABSTRACT
Endotracheal intubation is a common procedure in newborn care. The purpose of this clinical report is to review currently available evidence on use of premedication for intubation, identify gaps in knowledge, and provide guidance for making decisions about the use of premedication.
Subject(s)
Intubation, Intratracheal , Premedication , Analgesics/therapeutic use , Humans , Hypnotics and Sedatives/therapeutic use , Infant, Newborn , Muscle Relaxants, Central/therapeutic useABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of medical complications, gestational age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on the changes in anthropometric measures and severity of neurologic impairment from 6 to 54 months of age in premature and term infants. STUDY DESIGN: This study was a prospective longitudinal study to determine predictors of patterns of growth and neurologic outcome in low-risk (n=137) and high-risk (n=96) preterm infants compared to full-term infants (n=136). Growth modeling analyses were used to evaluate factors that might influence patterns of physical growth and changes in neurologic status. RESULTS: Medical risk level was a predictor of height and head circumference at 30 months and neurologic outcome. Gender was a predictor of weight gain. Medical risk level and gender predicted 13.8% and 32% of the variance in head circumference and neurologic scores, respectively. CONCLUSION: Medical complications after birth and gender are stronger influences than gestational age on patterns of growth and neurologic outcome.
