Pertussis remains a dangerous disease for children around the world, especially for infants less than 6 months old. In this age group, high mortality and morbidity have been linked to the effects of the pertussis toxin, including lymphocytosis, pulmonary hyperviscosity and pulmonary hypertension. This paper reports on an infant with pertussis who received therapeutic caffeine. Caffeine might improve outcomes in pertussis by preventing apnoea, improving respiratory drive and decreasing pulmonary complications.
Preterm (PT) infants are routinely screened for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). After ROP screening exams, PT infants are at risk for adverse events (AEs), including apnea and bradycardia (ABD), respiratory decompensation, infection, and gastrointestinal complications. Music therapy (MT) has been shown to improve overall physiologic stability in PT infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In this case series, a board-certified music therapist used a music therapy protocol during 47 ROP screening exams. The study’s purpose was to explore the potential effects of NICU MT on AEs linked to ROP screening. No infant had any respiratory decompensation, new infection, or other complications. The rate of ABD after screening exams was low. MT during ROP screening appears safe and feasible. We hypothesize that MT might prevent ABD associated with ROP screening, a theory that could be effectively studied in a randomized controlled trial.
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