| July 2008
Nominate a Section Member for Specialty Practitioner of the Year
The deadline to nominate section members for our Specialty Practitioner of the Year award is coming up August 31. So take a few moments to consider a worthy member for this important award, then use the nomination form on the SECTION WEB SITE to make your nomination.
How Prenatal Smoking Ups SIDS Risk in Preterm Infants
Canadian researchers who studied the effects of prenatal cigarette smoke exposure on the duration and recovery of breathing pauses and oxygen saturation levels under baseline and hypoxemic conditions find spontaneous recovery of breathing pauses and SpO2 levels are attenuated in cigarette smoke-exposed infants during the hypoxemic and post-hypoxemic periods, respectively. Infants exposed to cigarette smoke also had a greater increase in heart rate during the hypoxemic challenge. The study involved 12 infants born to mothers who smoked during their pregnancies and 10 born to mothers who did not smoke. The authors believe these findings could help explain why preterm infants are at a particularly high risk for sudden infant death syndrome. The report appeared in the June 19 Epub edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. READ ABSTRACT
HFV in VLBW Infants
University of Iowa researchers find nasal high frequency ventilation (HFV) is effective in decreasing PCO2 in stable premature infants requiring nasal CPAP support, but call for more study on the long term use of the modality. The investigation was conducted among 14 very low birthweight (VLBW) infants older than 7 days who were on nasal CPAP. All were placed on nasal HFV for 2 hours, with mean airway pressure set to equal the CPAP level and amplitude adjusted to obtain chest wall vibration. Median nasal CPAP pressure was 5 cm H2O, with a median amplitude of 50. Following 2 hours of HFV, mean PCO2 had dropped from 50 torr to 45 torr and pH had increased from 7.37 to 7.40. The study was published in the June 9 Epub edition of Acta Paediatrica. READ ABSTRACT
Montelukast Falls Short in RSV Study
Danish researchers find montelukast does not improve respiratory symptoms in children who have previously suffered from RSV bronchiolitis. The study was conducted in an attempt to validate a pilot trial reporting efficacy for the drug in post RSV-bronchiolitic respiratory symptoms. Researchers compared outcomes for 979 children ages 3 to 24 months who were randomized to montelukast 4 or 8 mg per day or placebo. The primary end point was percentage of symptom free days. No significant differences were seen between the montelukast groups and the placebo group. The study appeared in the June 26 Epub edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. READ ABSTRACT
HFJV versus HFOV in Infants with Pulmonary Hypertension
A new study out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine compared short term outcomes for infants with pulmonary hypertension who were treated with inhaled nitric oxide plus either high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) or high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). The research involved 22 infants who received the therapy via HFJV and 43 who received the therapy via HFOV. While infants in the HFJV group spent more hours on inhaled nitric oxide (71.4 versus 40.8), they were less likely to require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (9% versus 44%). However, the HFJV group also had a lower oxygenation index prior to initiation of the treatment. The age at which oxygen and ventilation were discontinued was about the same for the two groups. The authors conclude, “Term and near-term neonates with pulmonary hypertension who require nitric oxide have similar short-term outcomes regardless of whether nitric oxide is delivered by high-frequency jet ventilation or high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.” The research was published in the June 26 Epub edition of the Journal of Perinatology. READ ABSTRACT |
