Tracheal agenesis, although very rare, can be recognised from a characteristic clinical pattern. Mostly associated congenital malformations are present. Research into tissue-engineering might lead to possibilities for definitive surgical repair of tracheal agenesis or atresia; however, until curative repair becomes possible, prolonged ventilation via the oesophageal tube does not seem to be worthwhile.

There was no significant difference in the primary composite outcome of VP shunt placement or death in infants with posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation who were treated at a lower versus a higher threshold for intervention. Infants treated at the lower threshold received more invasive procedures. Assessment of neurodevelopmental outcomes will provide further important information in assessing the risks and benefits of the two treatment approaches.

In newborn infants blood transfusion in anaemia results in improvement of cerebral oxygenation, but haemodilution in polycythaemia does not improve cerebral oxygenation despite possible improvement of cerebral perfusion.

Summary: Topical mupirocin was routinely applied to insertion sites of central venous catheters (CVC) of neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit. After five years, mupirocin resistance was recorded in 42% of clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). This decreased to 21% during a mupirocin-free interval of five months. We performed a prospective study on the significance of mupirocin use on the staphylococcal skin flora of 15 newly admitted neonates. During treatment, mupirocin-susceptible strains were replaced by highly resistant ones. After treatment, all but one neonate harboured at least one resistant strain; 29% of all strains were moderately resistant (mupirocin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) 16mg/L) and 55% were highly resistant (MICs >1024mg/L). One CVC (7%) became colonized with a resistant strain, One year after stopping routine mupirocin application the incidence of resistance had dropped to 13%; CVC colonization was recorded in 2*4%.

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