Objective: To determine whether earlier treatment of high-risk, prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) improves retinal structural outcome at 2 years of age. Methods: Infants with bilateral high-risk prethreshold ROP had one eye randomly assigned to treatment with peripheral retinal ablation. The fellow eye was managed conventionally, and either treated at threshold ROP or observed if threshold was never reached. In patients with asymmetrical disease, the highrisk, prethreshold eye was randomised to earlier treatment or to conventional management. At 2 years of age, children were examined comprehensively by certified ophthalmologists to determine structural outcomes for their eyes. For the purposes of this study, an unfavourable structural outcome was defined as (1) a posterior retinal fold involving the macula, (2) a retinal detachment involving the macula or (3) retrolental tissue or ''mass'' obscuring the view of the posterior pole. Results of the 2-year examination were compared with those from the 9 months examination. Results: Data were available on 339 of 374 (90.6%) surviving children. Unfavourable structural outcomes were reduced from 15.4% in conventionally managed eyes to 9.1% in earlier-treated eyes (p = 0.002) at 2 years of age. Ophthalmic side effects (excluding retinal structure) from the ROP or its treatment were similar in the earlier-treated eyes and the conventionally managed eyes. Conclusion:The benefit of earlier treatment of high-risk prethreshold ROP on retinal structure endures to 2 years of age, and is not counterbalanced by any known side effect caused by earlier intervention. Earlier treatment improves the chance for long-term favourable retinal structural outcome in eyes with high-risk prethreshold ROP. Long-term follow-up is planned to determine structural and functional outcomes at 6 years of age.T he Early Treatment for Retinopathy Of Prematurity (ETROP) Study showed that retinal ablation for highrisk prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) improved structural and functional outcomes, compared with conventional management, when infants were examined at 9 months' corrected age. 1 The study randomised infants who had both prethreshold disease and a risk for unfavourable structural outcome >15%. 2However, eyes of infants may change over time.3 Myopia, strabismus and late retinal detachments all increase in frequency in the months and years after successful treatment of ROP.3 4 In the Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP) Study, a wide distribution of optotype acuities developed after successful treatment, with 75% showing acuities worse than 20/40 when children reached 10 and 15 years of age.3 5 Time will tell whether the ETROP cohort will show the same distribution of functional outcomes as occurred in the CRYO-ROP Study.In the CRYO-ROP Study, only a few infants had threshold disease in zone I, 6 but in the ETROP Study, 40% of all randomised children had zone I disease. This group of children may be particularly vulnerable to complications of myopia, stra...
Addition of a dedicated LC to the NICU increased the percentage of neonates receiving any HM, specifically in the OB population.
Background: Few understand the experience of having an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This article provides a discussion about the importance of an annual reunion for former NICU infants, their families, and neonatal staff. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explain the impact of the NICU reunion on families and neonatal healthcare providers and describe the experience of organizing this reunion over the past 20 years. Methods: This is a description of how a NICU reunion was organized at a regional neonatal center. Graphic-designed invitations were e-mailed to NICU graduates, who previously agreed to being contacted, 2 months prior to the reunion date. Social media were utilized to publicize the event on the hospital's Web site. Results: At the reunion, parents and families introduced their NICU graduate to the neonatal staff who cared for them while hospitalized. Sometimes staff found it difficult to recognize the NICU graduates, who were toddlers or older. Parents were relaxed, expressing their appreciation for care received. Implications for Practice: The impact of seeing an infant, born at 24 weeks, now walking, talking, and running cultivates pride in the NICU healthcare team. The reunion adds a positive dimension to the work of NICU caregivers. Parents look forward to attending the reunion to reconnect with NICU staff and other NICU parents. Implications for Research: Directions for future study include a comparison of staff and families who attend the NICU reunion and those who do not, by using a survey or online evaluation tool, to improve future reunions.
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