An Analysis of Time to Improvement in Oxygenation in Japanese Preterm and Late Preterm or Term Neonates With Hypoxic Respiratory Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension.

PURPOSE: We analyzed data from an ongoing registry to determine time to improvement in oxygenation in preterm and late preterm or term neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension receiving inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in Japan. METHODS: Registry neonates received iNO ≤7 days after birth (February 26, 2010, to October 9, 2012). Efficacy and safety profile data were collected up to 96 h after iNO initiation and, if necessary, every 24 h thereafter and before iNO discontinuation. Patients were stratified by gestational age (GA), oxygenation index (OI), and shunt direction at baseline. FINDINGS: Data were evaluated for 1106 neonates (431 with a GA <34 weeks and 675 with a GA of ≥34 weeks). Sixty percent of patients had improved OI; rates were similar for those with GAs of <34 versus ≥34 weeks (61% vs 59%). Overall, mean time to improvement was 11.4 h and tended to be shorter in the groups with a GA <34 weeks versus ≥34 weeks (9.2 vs 12.9 h). Thirty percent of responding neonates required >1 h to achieve improvement in oxygenation. Neonates with higher baseline OI had the greatest decrease in OI during the first hour of treatment. The mortality rate was higher among iNO-treated patients with a baseline OI ≥25 versus those with OI ≥15 to <25 (25% vs 12%; P = 0.0073). IMPLICATIONS: iNO treatment provided acute, sustained improvement in oxygenation in neonates with GAs <34 and ≥34 weeks; 70% of patients had improvement within 1 h, but the remaining 30% took >1 h to respond. Initiation of iNO at lower OIs was associated with reduced mortality compared with higher OI.

A quality improvement project to increase breast milk use in very low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a multihospital collaborative designed to increase breast milk feeding in premature infants. METHODS: Eleven NICUs in the California Perinatal Quality of Care Collaborative participated in an Institute for Healthcare Improvement-style collaborative to increase NICU breast milk feeding rates. Multiple interventions were recommended with participating sites implementing a self-selected combination of these interventions. Breast milk feeding rates were compared between baseline (October 2008-September 2009), implementation (October 2009-September 2010), and sustainability periods (October 2010-March 2011). Secondary outcome measures included necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) rates and lengths of stay. California Perinatal Quality of Care Collaborative hospitals not participating in the project served as a control population. RESULTS: The breast milk feeding rate in the intervention sites improved from baseline (54.6%) to intervention period (61.7%; P = .005) with sustained improvement over 6 months postintervention (64.0%; P = .003). NEC rates decreased from baseline (7.0%) to intervention period (4.3%; P = .022) to sustainability period (2.4%; P < .0001). Length of stay increased during the intervention but returned to baseline levels in the sustainability period. Control hospitals had higher rates of breast milk feeding at baseline (64.2% control vs 54.6% participants, P < .0001), but over the course of the implementation (65.7% vs 61.7%, P = .049) and sustainability periods (67.7% vs 64.0%, P = .199), participants improved to similar rates as the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a breast milk/nutrition change package by an 11-site collaborative resulted in an increase in breast milk feeding and decrease in NEC that was sustained over an 18-month period.

Impact of an EMR-Based Daily Patient Update Letter on Communication and Parent Engagement in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of using electronic medical record (EMR) data in the form of a daily patient update letter on communication and parent engagement in a level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). STUDY DESIGN: Parents of babies in a level II NICU were surveyed before and after the introduction of an EMR-generated daily patient update letter, Your Baby's Daily Update (YBDU). RESULTS: Following the introduction of the EMR-generated daily patient update letter, 89% of families reported using YBDU as an information source; 83% of these families found it "very useful", and 96% of them responded that they "always" liked receiving it. Rates of receiving information from the attending physician were not statistically significantly different pre- and post-implementation, 81% and 78%, respectively (p = 1). Though there was no statistically significant improvement in parents' knowledge of individual items regarding the care of their babies, a trend towards statistical significance existed for several items (p <.1), and parents reported feeling more competent to manage information related to the health status of their babies (p =.039). CONCLUSION: Implementation of an EMR-generated daily patient update letter is feasible, resulted in a trend towards improved communication, and improved at least one aspect of parent engagement-perceived competence to manage information in the NICU.

Inhaled nitric oxide in the treatment of preterm infants.

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been used successfully in select term and near-term infants with respiratory failure. The use of iNO in the premature infant population, however, remains controversial. This article will review some of the current literature regarding the use of iNO in premature infants and discuss current recommendations and future research directions.