BackgroundMedically complex patients in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) typically require long hospitalisations and care from multiple subspecialists. Scheduled multidisciplinary discussions could improve collaboration and continuity of care and thereby improve patient outcomes. The specific aims of the project were to decrease the average length of hospitalisation by at least 1 day and improve parent satisfaction ratings on a standard questionnaire by the end of our project’s first year, and to maintain a stable (or decreased) cause-related (30-day) readmission rate.MethodsWe designed a quality improvement project to enhance collaboration and continuity of care for medically complex infants cared for in the NICU of Brenner Children’s Hospital. Weekly multidisciplinary team meetings were held to discuss the long-term plan for patients who met specific criteria. Attendees included attending neonatologists, paediatric surgeons, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a social worker, a nurse coordinator for palliative care, a family support coordinator, the NICU Nurse Manager, a hospital chaplain, mid-level providers, bedside nurses, a nurse quality improvement leader and the leaders and database manager for the quality improvement project. When needed for specific patients, a bioethicist was included.ResultsOne year after implementing the project, the average duration of hospitalisation had decreased by 6.5 days. Cause-related readmission rates decreased from 3.33% to 0.95%. Parent satisfaction scores did not change significantly.ConclusionsWeekly multidisciplinary meetings to coordinate and provide continuity of care for medically complex neonates in our NICU was associated with improved patient outcomes.

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Objective-To evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants with need for Child Protective Services (CPS) supervision at hospital discharge compared with those discharged without CPS supervision. Study design-For infants born at <27 weeks of gestation between 2006 and 2013, prospectively collected maternal and neonatal characteristics and 18-to 26-month corrected age follow-up data were analyzed. Bayley-III cognitive and language scores of infants with discharge CPS supervision were compared with infants without CPS supervision using regression analysis while adjusting for potentially confounding variables, including entering CPS after discharge from the hospital. Results-Of the 4517 preterm infants discharged between 2006 and 2013, 255 (5.6%) were discharged with a need for CPS supervision. Mothers of infants with CPS supervision were significantly more likely to be younger, single, and gravida ≥3; to have less than a high school education; and to have a singleton pregnancy and less likely to have received prenatal care or

Background Neonates requiring long‐term parenteral nutrition (PN) are at risk for developing intestinal failure–associated liver disease (IFALD). The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence and severity of IFALD in a highly surgical neonatal population receiving mixed oil–based lipid emulsions (MOLEs) vs soybean oil–based lipid emulsions (SOLEs) for long‐term PN. Methods This retrospective cohort study evaluated patients admitted to a neonatal intensive care nursery that received PN for ≥14 days. Patients were separated into 2 cohorts; those who received SOLE and those who received MOLE. The primary outcome of this study was the occurrence of IFALD. Secondary outcomes included time to IFALD, peak bilirubin level during therapy, incidence of hypertriglyceridemia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and retinopathy of prematurity. Results A total of 107 patients were included in the study, IFALD occurred in 44.8% of patients receiving SOLE compared with 30% of patients receiving MOLE (relative risk, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.39–1.15). In the multivariable analysis, adjusting for the known confounders (prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, presence of ostomy, and duration of PN and lipids), the type of lipids was not a significant predictor for development of IFALD. Duration of PN and duration of lipids were determined to be significant risk factors for IFALD, regardless of type of lipid emulsion (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01–1.05). Conclusions Use of MOLE resulted in no significant difference in the outcomes studied when compared with SOLE. Duration of PN and duration of lipids were significant risk factors for development of IFALD.

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Objective To examine the extent to which weight gain and weight status in the first 2 years of life relate to the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely preterm infants. Study Design In a cohort of 1070 infants born between 23 and 27 weeks’ gestation, we examined weight gain from 7-28 days of life (in quartiles) and weight z-score at 12 and 24 months corrected age (in categories: <−2; ≥−2, <−1; ≥1, <1; ≥1) in relation to these adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes: Bayley-II mental development index <55, Bayley-II psychomotor development index <55, cerebral palsy, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) ≥1 (cannot walk without assistance), microcephaly. We adjusted for confounders in logistic regression, stratified by sex, and performed separate analyses including the entire sample, and excluding children unable to walk without assistance (motor impairment). Results Weight gain in the lowest quartile from 7-28 days was not associated with higher risk of adverse outcomes. Children with a 12-month weight z-score <−2 were at increased risk for all adverse outcomes in girls, and for microcephaly and GMFCS ≥1 in boys. However, excluding children with motor impairment attenuated all associations except that of weight z-score <−2 with microcephaly in girls. Similarly, most associations of low weight z-score at 24 months with adverse outcomes were attenuated with exclusion of children with motor impairment. Conclusion Excluding children who have gross motor impairment appears to eliminate the association of low weight status with neurodevelopmental impairments at 2 years in extremely preterm infants.

Among extremely preterm infants, the rate of maturational changes in brain wave characteristics between 28 and 36 weeks' postmenstrual age is not predictive of developmental abilities at 18 to 22 months adjusted age.