Association Between Increased Seizures During Rewarming After Hypothermia for Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy and Abnormal Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 2-Year Follow-up: A Nested Multisite Cohort Study.

Importance: Compared with normothermia, hypothermia has been shown to reduce death or disability in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy but data on seizures during rewarming and associated outcomes are scarce. Objective: To determine whether electrographic seizures are more likely to occur during rewarming compared with the preceding period and whether they are associated with abnormal outcomes in asphyxiated neonates receiving hypothermia therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prespecified nested cohort study of infants enrolled in the Optimizing Cooling (OC) multicenter Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network trial from December 2011 to December 2013 with 2 years' follow-up randomized infants to either 72 hours of cooling (group A) or 120 hours (group B). The main trial included 364 infants. Of these, 194 were screened, 10 declined consent, and 120 met all predefined inclusion criteria. A total of 112 (90%) had complete data for death or disability. Data were analyzed from January 2018 to January 2020. Interventions: Serial amplitude electroencephalography recordings were compared in the 12 hours prior and 12 hours during rewarming for evidence of electrographic seizure activity by 2 central amplitude-integrated electroencephalography readers blinded to treatment arm and rewarming epoch. Odds ratios and 95% CIs were evaluated following adjustment for center, prior seizures, depth of cooling, and encephalopathy severity. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the occurrence of electrographic seizures during rewarming initiated at 72 or 120 hours compared with the preceding 12-hour epoch. Secondary outcomes included death or moderate or severe disability at age 18 to 22 months. The hypothesis was that seizures during rewarming were associated with higher odds of abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Results: A total of 120 newborns (70 male [58%]) were enrolled (66 in group A and 54 in group B). The mean (SD) gestational age was 39 (1) weeks. There was excellent interrater agreement (κ, 0.99) in detection of seizures. More infants had electrographic seizures during the rewarming epoch compared with the preceding epoch (group A, 27% vs 14%; P = .001; group B, 21% vs 10%; P = .03). Adjusted odd ratios (95% CIs) for seizure frequency during rewarming were 2.7 (1.0-7.5) for group A and 3.2 (0.9-11.6) for group B. The composite death or moderate to severe disability outcome at 2 years was significantly higher in infants with electrographic seizures during rewarming (relative risk [95% CI], 1.7 [1.25-2.37]) after adjusting for baseline clinical encephalopathy and seizures as well as center. Conclusions and Relevance: Findings that higher odds of electrographic seizures during rewarming are associated with death or disability at 2 years highlight the necessity of electroencephalography monitoring during rewarming in infants at risk. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01192776.

Quality Improvement-Driven Reduction in Countywide Medicaid Acute Asthma Health Care Utilization.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the impact of a coordinated effort by an urban pediatric hospital and its associated accountable care organization to reduce asthma-related emergency department (ED) and inpatient utilization by a large, countywide Medicaid patient population. METHODS: Multiple evidence-based interventions targeting general pediatric asthma care and high health care utilizers were implemented using standardized quality improvement methodologies. Annual asthma ED and inpatient utilization rates by 2- to 18-year-old members of an accountable care organization living in the surrounding county (>140,000 eligible members in 2016), adjusted per 1000 children from 2008 through 2016, were analyzed using Poisson regression. We compared these ED utilization rates to national rates from 2006 to 2014. RESULTS: Asthma ED utilization fell from 18.1 to 12.9 visits/1000 children from 2008 to 2016, representing a 28.7% reduction, with an average annual decrease of 3.9% (P < .001), during a time when national utilization was increasing. Asthma inpatient utilization did not change significantly during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma-related ED utilization was significantly reduced in a large population of primarily urban, minority, Medicaid-insured children by implementing a multimodal asthma quality improvement program. With adequate support, a similar approach could be successful in other communities.

Impact of feeding strategies on the frequency and clearance of acid and nonacid gastroesophageal reflux events in dysphagic neonates.

BACKGROUND: Feeding difficulties and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) are common problems in neonates. The authors hypothesize that GER could be influenced by feeding mechanics by evaluating the effects of feeding volumes, feeding durations, feeding flow rates, and caloric density on the chemical composition and clearance of GER in dysphagic neonates. METHODS: Symptomatic dysphagic neonates (n = 35) underwent evaluation for suspected GER using pH-impedance methods. RESULTS: The proportions of acid and nonacid GER were different during the first, second, and third postprandial hours (P < .0001). Prolonged feeding duration was significantly associated with decreased total, nonacid GER and BCT (P < .03). Significant positive correlations (P < .05) were detected between feeding flow rate vs frequency of total, nonacid GER and BCT. Significant positive correlation (P = .002) was noted between feeding volume and BCT. BCT decreased with each hourly interval (analysis of variance [ANOVA] P < .05); however, ACT increased with each hourly interval (ANOVA P = .05). Comparison between BCT and ACT at each postprandial hour is remarkable for longer ACT during the second and third hours after the initiation of feed (P ≤ .001). No significant correlation was noted between the milk types (breast milk or formula) or caloric density with regard to the GER characteristics. Oral-fed infants had more GER events than gavage-fed infants. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged feeding durations and slower flow rates are associated with decreased frequency of GER. Modification of feeding duration and flow rate can be a useful adjunct to ameliorate GER in dysphagic neonates.

Mean arterial pressures during the first 24 hours of life in < or = 600-gram birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine mean arterial pressure values during the first 24 hours for "stable" and "unstable" extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and to ascertain its association with perinatal factors. BACKGROUND: In ELBW infants, hypotension is diagnosed by nonspecific clinical signs together with reference arterial pressure values extrapolated from regression models or from scarce actual observations. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: 101 ELBW (< or = 600 g) infants born in our medical center (1989-2000). Considered stable were 36 infants with umbilical cord hemoglobin > or = 14 g/dl who, although mechanically ventilated, had normal acid-base balance, no patent ductus arteriosus, had not received indomethacin, steroids, muscle relaxants, narcotics, were never treated for hypotension and survived at least 7 days. The remaining 65 infants constituted the unstable group. Arterial pressures were determined by oscillometry (OBP) and direct transducer readings through an umbilical line (MAP). All admission and 10% of the readings were by OBP; the remaining 1877 measurements were by MAP. RESULTS: Stable and unstable infants were similar in birth weight, demographics, history of chorioamnionitis, antepartum steroids, low Apgar scores, administration of epinephrine during resuscitation, and sepsis. Stable infants were different from unstable in gestational age (27+/-2 vs 25+/-2 weeks' gestational age [w GA]), history of preterm labor, preeclampsia, and neonatal mortality (22 vs 68%). Admission OBP (30+/-7 vs 29+/-10 Torr) were similar and 1-hour MAP were different (30+/-6 vs 27+/-7 Torr) between both groups. MAP for stable infants was higher throughout the 24 hours. Greater differences were noted between 3 and 6 hours when 34 of 65 unstable infants were treated for hypotension. Mean MAP and 10 percentile values for stable infants at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours were 30 (22), 31 (24), 32 (25), 34 (24), and 35 (28) Torr, respectively. MAPs did not correlate with birth weight, but they were lower among 19 stable infants < or = 26 w GA than among 17 stable infants > or = 27 w GA. History of preeclampsia, antenatal steroids, intratracheal epinephrine and cord hemoglobin did not influence MAP. Low 1-minute Apgar score and intracranial hemorrhage were associated with low MAP during the first day. CONCLUSION: There is a wide variation of GA among ELBW infants. MAPs increase with GA and with postnatal age. Shortly after birth, arterial pressures are similar for stable and unstable infants. Failure to increase MAP between 3 and 6 hours of life should create concern. MAP < or = 28 Torr at 3 hours of life is a reasonable, but not absolute, predictor of the need for hypotension treatment.