BACKGROUND Recent reports have documented a leveling-off of survival rates in preterm infants through the 1990's. The objective of this study was to determine temporal changes in illness severity in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in relationship to the outcomes of death and/or severe IVH. METHODS Cohort study of 1414 VLBW infants cared for in a single level III neonatal intensive care u...

The current study aimed at determining the type and frequency of high-risk factors for hearing loss in a group of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) neonates in a tertiary hospital in South Africa with the objective of collating evidence that could be used in arguing for or against revisiting targeted hearing screening in developing countries. Furthermore, the study aimed at investigating the relatio...

BACKGROUND Treatment and prophylaxis of sepsis in very low birth weight neonates is a matter of concern and research is being undertaken with the aim to give rise to shared approaches based on solid evidence. As part of a European initiative, a survey was set up to describe the use of two drugs in this area. The Italian national practices concerning neonatal sepsis, as well as calls for related...

Hypothermia is a major contributor to newborn mortality worldwide and remains a common problem for very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, even in technologically advanced hospital settings. The attributable risk of mortality from hypothermia is difficult to establish from the scant randomized trials on delivery room stabilization of VLBW newborns, but the relationship between admission temperatur...

OBJECTIVE To study intestinal colonization patterns in very low birth weight infants in the first week of life in a neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS Meconium/stool specimens were obtained on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 from 38 very low-birth-weight infants in a level III neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS On day 1, 45% had sterile guts, and by day 3, all infants were colonized. E. coli, K. p...

This new book, edited by Curtis and Rubenfeld, is a very helpful resource for all who work in an intensive care unit (ICU). Although a substantial amount of research has recently explored end of life care in the ICU, few textbooks have included a discussion on how to care for dying patients. This book is the first to fill this glaring void. It combines a comprehensive summary of our current kno...

background: particular circumstances in the intensive care unit have led the patients to experience significant levels of pain and discomfort. on the other hand, these patients cannot express their discomfort due to several reasons. aim: to develop the causes of discomfort in the intensive care units. methods: in order for assessing the causes of discomfort, the initial questionnaire was extrac...

Increasing survival of very low birth infants is largely the result of improved neonatal intensive careD. In Malaysia over the past decade neonatal intensive care has been developing rapidly. Although published data on the outcome of intensive care does not exist, annual reports produced by major government hospitals show that there has been an improvement in survival of very low birth weight b...