WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Extremely preterm infants who receive antihypotensive therapy have worse outcomes than untreated infants. The reasons for this are not clear. High-quality randomized trials have not been performed to date because of logistical challenges, thereby necessitating alternative methods of investigation.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Antihypotensive therapy administration was not associated with improved in-hospital outcomes for any of the 15 definitions of low blood pressure investigated. Alternative methods of deciding who to treat are needed to maximize patient benefit and minimize harm. abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships among blood pressure (BP) values, antihypotensive therapies, and in-hospital outcomes to identify a BP threshold below which antihypotensive therapies may be beneficial. METHODS: Prospective observational study of infants 230/7 to 26 6/7weeks' gestational age. Hourly BP values and antihypotensive therapy use in the first 24 hours were recorded. Low BP was investigated by using 15 definitions. Outcomes were examined by using regression analysis controlling for gestational age, the number of low BP values, and illness severity. RESULTS:Of 367 infants enrolled, 203 (55%) received at least 1 antihypotensive therapy. Treated infants were more likely to have low BP by any definition (P , .001), but for the 15 definitions of low BP investigated, therapy was not prescribed to 3% to 49% of infants with low BP and, paradoxically, was administered to 28% to 41% of infants without low BP. Treated infants were more likely than untreated infants to develop severe retinopathy of prematurity (15% vs 8%, P = .03) or severe intraventricular hemorrhage (22% vs 11%, P , .01) and less likely to survive (67% vs 78%, P = .02). However, with regression analysis, there were no significant differences between groups in survival or in-hospital morbidity rates.CONCLUSIONS: Factors other than BP contributed to the decision to use antihypotensive therapies. Infant outcomes were not improved with antihypotensive therapy for any of the 15 definitions of low BP investigated. Pediatrics 2013;131:e1865-e1873AUTHORS:

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For parents, the experience of having an infant in the NICU is often psychologically traumatic. No parent can be fully prepared for the extreme stress and range of emotions of caring for a critically ill newborn. As health care providers familiar with the NICU, we thought that we understood the impact of the NICU on parents. But we were not prepared to see the children in our own families as NICU patients. Here are some of the lessons our NICU experience has taught us. We offer these lessons in the hope of helping health professionals consider a balanced view of the NICU’s impact on families.

Objective Investigate relationships between early blood pressure (BP) changes, receipt of anti-hypotensive therapy, and 18 – 22 month corrected age (CA) outcomes for extremely preterm infants. Design Prospective observational study of infants 230/7 – 266/7 weeks gestational age (GA). Hourly BP values and anti-hypotensive therapy exposure in the first 24 hours were recorded. Four groups were defined: infants who did or did not receive anti-hypotensive therapy in whom BP did or did not rise at the expected rate (defined as an increase in the mean arterial BP of ≥5 mmHg/day). Random-intercept logistic modeling controlling for center clustering, GA, and illness severity was used to investigate the relationship between BP, anti-hypotensive therapies, and infant outcomes. Setting Sixteen academic centers of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Main Outcome Measures Death or neurodevelopmental impairment / developmental delay (NIDD) at 18 – 22 months CA. Results Of 367 infants, 203 (55%) received an anti-hypotensive therapy, 272 (74%) survived to discharge, and 331 (90%) had a known outcome at 18 – 22 months CA. With logistic regression, there was an increased risk of death/NIDD with anti-hypotensive therapy versus no treatment (odds ratio: 1.836, 95% confidence interval: 1.092 – 3.086), but not NIDD alone (odds ratio: 1.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.708 – 3.307). Conclusion Independent of early BP changes, anti-hypotensive therapy exposure was associated with an increased risk of death/NIDD at 18 to 22 months CA when controlling for risk factors known to affect survival and neurodevelopment.

Objective To examine changes in arterial blood pressure (ABP) after birth in extremely preterm infants. Study Design Prospective observational study of infants 230/7 – 266/7 weeks gestational age (GA). Antihypotensive therapy use and ABP measurements were recorded for the first 24 hours. Results A cohort of 367 infants had 18,709 ABP measurements recorded. ABP decreased for the first three hours, reached a nadir at 4 – 5 hours, then increased at an average rate of 0.2 mmHg / hour. The rise in ABP from hour 4 – 24 was similar for untreated infants (n=164) and infants given any antihypotensive therapy (n=203), a fluid bolus (n=135), or dopamine (n=92). GA specific trends were similar. ABP tended to be lower as GA decreased, but varied widely at each GA. Conclusion Arterial blood pressure increased spontaneously over the first 24 postnatal hours for extremely preterm infants. The rate of rise in ABP did not change with antihypotensive therapy.

on behalf of the International Neonatal Consortium 15 Objectives To determine the recommended blood pressure (BP) measurement methods in neonates after systematically analyzing the literature regarding proper BP cuff size and measurement location and method. Study design A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL from 1946 to 2017 on BP in neonates <3 months of age (PROSPERO ID CRD42018092886). Study data were extracted and analyzed with separate analysis of Bland-Altman studies comparing measurement methods. Results Of 3587 nonduplicate publications identified, 34 were appropriate for inclusion in the analysis. Four studies evaluating BP cuff size support a recommendation for a cuff width to arm circumference ratio of approximately 0.5. Studies investigating measurement location identified the upper arm as the most accurate and least variable location for oscillometric BP measurement. Analysis of studies using Bland-Altman methods for comparison of intra-arterial to oscillometric BP measurement show that the 2 methods correlate best for mean arterial pressure, whereas systolic BP by the oscillometric method tends to overestimate intra-arterial systolic BP. Compared with intra-arterial methods, systolic BP, diastolic BP, and mean arterial pressure by oscillometric methods are less accurate and precise, especially in neonates with a mean arterial pressure <30 mm Hg. Conclusions Proper BP measurement is critical in neonates with naturally lower BP and attention to BP cuff size, location, and method of measurement are essential. With decreasing use of intra-arterial catheters for long-term BP monitoring in neonates, further studies are urgently needed to validate and develop oscillometric methodology with enhanced accuracy.

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Our aims were to identify the range of blood pressure values during the first postnatal week in infants born between 23 and 25 weeks postmenstrual age who were not considered in need of treatment for hypotension, and to describe the clinical course of these untreated infants compared with those who were treated for hypotension. We reviewed retrospectively the charts of 142 consecutive inborn infants over a 6-year period. For 86 infants who survived the first postnatal week without being treated for hypotension, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased 0.3 mm Hg/h during the first 24 hours, 0.1 mm Hg/h from the 25th to the 48th hour, and then stabilized for the remainder of the week. MAP values < or = 25 mm Hg were not uncommon and were not associated with apparent consequences. Thirty-five infants treated for hypotension differed significantly from untreated infants in several clinical variables present at birth, suggesting a different degree of fetal compromise. Treated infants were less likely to survive (43 versus 85%; P < 0.001) or survive without a major morbidity (29 versus 53%; P = 0.013) than untreated infants. It was not apparent from our data that the treatment of hypotension was helpful.