The impact of exclusive human milk diet on short-term growth of very preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) on postnatal growth remains controversial. This study aims to investigate the association between EHMD and short-term growth. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study aims to compare growth between the EHMD and non-EHMD groups among infants <32 weeks of gestation. Primary outcomes include weight, length, and head circumference growth trajectories between birth and 34 weeks postmenstrual age. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: An EHMD was independently associated with poorer length growth, especially in infants born at ≥28 weeks' gestation or those exposed to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. While initiating fortification at <26 kcal/oz on an EHMD showed inferior growth, initiating fortification at ≥26 kcal/oz was associated with improved weight growth, and similar length and head circumference growth when compared to the non-EHMD group. CONCLUSIONS: An EHMD with initial fortification at ≥26 kcal/oz may be implemented to avoid bovine milk exposure while sustaining comparable growth.

Discontinuation of Car Seat Tolerance Screening and Postdischarge Adverse Outcomes in Infants Born Preterm.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between discontinuing predischarge car seat tolerance screening (CSTS) with 30-day postdischarge adverse outcomes in infants born preterm. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study involving all infants born preterm from 2010 through 2021 who survived to discharge to home in a 14-hospital integrated health care system. The exposure was discontinuation of CSTS. The primary outcome was a composite rate of death, 911 call-triggered transports, or readmissions associated with diagnostic codes of respiratory disorders, apnea, apparent life-threatening event, or brief resolved unexplained events within 30 days of discharge. Outcomes of infants born in the periods of CSTS and after discontinuation were compared. RESULTS: Twelve of 14 hospitals initially utilized CSTS and contributed patients to the CSTS period; 71.4% of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and 26.9% of non-NICU infants were screened. All hospitals participated in the discontinuation period; 0.1% was screened. Rates of the unadjusted primary outcome were 1.02% in infants in the CSTS period (n = 21 122) and 1.06% after discontinuation (n = 20 142) (P = .76). The aOR (95% CI) was 0.95 (0.75, 1.19). Statistically insignificant differences between periods were observed in components of the primary outcome, gestational age strata, NICU admission status groups, and other secondary analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Discontinuation of CSTS in a large integrated health care network was not associated with a change in 30-day postdischarge adverse outcomes. CSTS's value as a standard predischarge assessment deserves further evaluation.

Transcutaneous bilirubin levels in extremely preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestation.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels and total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels in extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective multicenter study of extremely preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestation in California. Difference between paired TcB and TSB values were compared based on gestational age, birth weight, maternal race/ethnicity, chronological age as well as during and after phototherapy. RESULTS: TSB values ranged from 0 to 12.6 mg/dl and the TcB values ranged from 0 to 14.2 mg/dl. TSB was predicted with a high degree of accuracy at TSB = 2.37 + 0.54 (TcB) with r = 0.786. There was good correlation across gestational age, birth weight, race/ethnic, chronological age subgroups as well as during and after phototherapy. CONCLUSION: Our study supports the use of TcB as a screening tool for monitoring jaundice in extremely preterm infants.

Erythropoietin is not a risk factor for severe retinopathy of prematurity among high risk preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a developmental retinal vaso-proliferative disease and a leading cause of blindness in children. Early gestational age, low birth weight and unregulated oxygen exposure are the main risk factors for the development of ROP. There are conflicting reports of a possible association between recombinant Erythropoietin (rhEPO) use and an increased risk for the development of ROP. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether rhEPO is an independent risk factor for the development of severe ROP among preterm infants with a gestational age of 23 to 32 weeks and a birth weight <1500 g. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of risk factors for ROP on a cohort of 1762 premature infants born between 2009 and 2014, half of whom received rhEPO. To examine the association between treated ROP and rhEPO, a propensity score (PS) analysis was performed using the inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) approach. RESULTS: The incidence of treated ROP was 7.3% (129/1762). PS analysis did not show an association between rhEPO and severe ROP needing treatment or ROP stage 2 or higher, in either the whole population or in the subgroup of babies born at 23 to 28 weeks gestation, in whom the incidence of severe ROP was the highest. Of 117 patients treated for Type 1 or worsening stage 3 ROP, 17 were first diagnosed after NICU discharge. CONCLUSION: Our study showed no association between Erythropoietin use and severe ROP and highlights the importance of Ophthalmology follow up after hospital discharge.

Rates of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Following Implementation of a Novel Prevention Bundle.

Importance: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) rates in the United States remain high and have changed little in the last decade. Objective: To develop a consistent BPD prevention bundle in a systematic approach to decrease BPD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This quality improvement study included 484 infants with birth weights from 501 to 1500 g admitted to a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California system from 2009 through 2019. The study period was divided into 3 periods: 1, baseline (2009); 2, initial changes based on ongoing cycles of Plan-Do-Study-Act (2010-2014); and 3, full implementation of successive Plan-Do-Study-Act results (2015-2019). Interventions: A BPD prevention system of care bundle evolved with a shared mental model that BPD is avoidable. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was BPD in infants with less than 33 weeks' gestational age (hereafter referred to as BPD <33). Other measures included adjusted BPD <33, BPD severity grade, and adjusted median postmenstrual age (PMA) at hospital discharge. Balancing measures were adjusted mortality and adjusted mortality or specified morbidities. Results: The study population included 484 infants with a mean (SD) birth weight of 1070 (277) g; a mean (SD) gestational age of 28.6 (2.9) weeks; 252 female infants (52.1%); and 61 Black infants (12.6%). During the 3 study periods, BPD <33 decreased from 9 of 29 patients (31.0%) to 3 of 184 patients (1.6%) (P < .001 for trend); special cause variation was observed. The standardized morbidity ratio for the adjusted BPD <33 decreased from 1.2 (95% CI, 0.7-1.9) in 2009 to 0.4 (95% CI, 0.2-0.8) in 2019. The rates of combined grades 1, 2, and 3 BPD decreased from 7 of 29 patients (24.1%) to 17 of 183 patients (9.3%) (P < .008 for trend). Grade 2 BPD rates decreased from 3 of 29 patients (10.3%) to 5 of 183 patients (2.7%) (P = .02 for trend). Adjusted median PMA at home discharge decreased by 2 weeks, from 38.2 (95% CI, 37.3-39.1) weeks in 2009 to 36.8 (95% CI, 36.6-37.1) weeks during the last 3 years (2017-2019) of the full implementation period. Adjusted mortality was unchanged, whereas adjusted mortality or specified morbidities decreased significantly. Conclusions and Relevance: A sustained low rate of BPD was observed in infants after the implementation of a detailed BPD system of care.