Parental holding of infants improves haemodynamics in the cardiac ICU.

We performed a single-centre, retrospective study to assess physiologic changes of infants in the cardiac ICU while being held by their parent. Continuous data streaming of vital signs were collected for infants included in the study from January 2021 to March 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected from the electronic medical record. The physiologic streaming data were analysed using mixed-effects models to account for repeated measures and quantify the effect of parental holding. Comparison analysis was also performed controlling for intubation, pre-operative versus post-operative status, and whether the holding was skin-to-skin or not. Ninety-five patients with complete physiologic data were included in the study. There were no immediate adverse events associated with holding. Heart rate decreased during the response time compared to its baseline value (p = 0.01), and this decrease was more pronounced for the non-intubated and pre-operative patients. The near-infrared spectroscopy-based venous saturation increased overall (p = 0.02) in patients while being held. We conclude that parental holding of infants in the cardiac ICU can be safely accomplished, and the haemodynamic and oximetric profile during the holding is favourable compared to the infants' baseline prior to holding.

Validation of an Age-Appropriate Screening Tool for Female Athlete Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport in Young Athletes.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the concurrent validity of a newly created relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) specific screening tool (RST) by comparing scores with the validated pre-participation gynecological examination (PPGE). We hypothesized that the investigators would observe no significant difference between the means of the RST and the PPGE survey. Methods This was a crossover study of 39 female subjects who completed both the RST and the PPGE. The survey order was randomized. Results The RST was validated compared with the PPGE (Pearson's r = 0.697, p < 0.001). Conclusion The administration of an RST to middle- and high-school female athletes was validated compared with the PPGE. Formatting limitations of the screening tool were highlighted, leading to changes that improved the accuracy of the screening tool prior to application in a clinical setting. The RST is an age-appropriate screening tool that can be used by coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and other healthcare practitioners to detect RED-S risk and allow for earlier intervention.