On behalf of the National Coalition for Infant Health (NCfIH), we are writing to share concerns regarding the ENFit tubing connector design and the safety risks this design poses to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients. For these tiny, vulnerable infants, concerns about inaccurate dosing of medications at small volumes must be taken very seriously.
Breastfeeding for two months can cut risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by half
Babies who are breastfed for at least two months are at a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than the ones who aren’t nursed as long, a recent study has found. According to the University of Virginia School of Medicine research, breastfeeding for at least two months cuts a baby’s risk of SIDS almost in half. Previous research said it could cut risk of asthma and benefit the mother’s wellbeing as well.
Mother-to-infant HCV transmission risk on the rise in Wisconsin
*** PRESS RELEASE*** Infant Health Summit to Address Infant Transmission of Hepatitis C, NICU Tubing Design Safety and More
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, October 26, the Institute for Patient Access and National Coalition for Infant Health will host the 2017 Infant Health Policy Summit in Washington, DC, to explore patient access and safety issues facing vulnerable infants and their families. The summit will feature keynote remarks by Adam Busby, star of TLC’s “OutDaughtered” and paternal postpartum depression advocate. Experts, including CDR Sarah Schillie, MD, CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis, will discuss the opioid epidemic and subsequent increase in hepatitis C carriers and vertical transmission to babies.
Hep B Vaccine Should Be Given Sooner
The first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine should be given to babies within 24 hours of birth, new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics say.
Until now, the academy had recommended the vaccine be given by the baby's first checkup. Now, the risk of infection has increased with the ongoing opioid crisis, as more moms are getting infected with hepatitis B and passing the virus on to their babies, the authors of the new guidelines explained.
Read more at HealthDay.
E coli, GBS responsible for 64% of neonatal bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis contracted within the first 90 days of life was most commonly attributed to infection from Escherichia coli and group B Streptococcus, each accounting approximately one-third of cases, according to research published in Pediatrics.
Read more at Healio.
NY State Program on Breastfeeding Beats National Goals (MMWR)
More than 80% of infants who enrolled in a special supplemental nutrition program for women and children in New York City began breastfeeding -- which initially exceeded national breastfeeding goals, said CDC researchers.
Read more at MedPage Today.
Penn tests new app designed for nurses, mothers of ICU newborns
Last month, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s Intensive Care Nursery, which manages breast milk for almost half a million newborn babies in critical care, began testing out a new management system to make the lives of nurses – and new mothers – a lot easier.
Keriton is an app designed by nurses and moms to monitor inventory of breast milk and serve as a communication method between new mothers and the hospital.
Learn more at The Philly Voice.
Vaccinating pregnant women year-round may cut flu in babies
Babies born to women vaccinated throughout the year against flu virus are more likely to be healthier and have reduced incidence of influenza, according to a study.
The findings, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that vaccinating pregnant mothers year-round is likely to reduce infant flu virus infection rates by an average of 30 per cent, increase birth weights by 15 per cent and result in babies having less influenza.
Read more at Business Standard.
New Approaches Help Babies Get Through Opioid Withdrawal
SAN FRANCISCO -- Letting mothers and babies room together in the hospital and using methadone or buprenorphine instead of morphine led to shorter stays and other benefits for newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), researchers reported here.
Read more at MedPage Today.
Omaha woman who had Zika virus while pregnant gives birth to healthy baby girl
An Omaha woman who had the Zika virus while pregnant gave birth Tuesday to a healthy baby, alleviating concern that the child would be born with a birth defect.
Evelyn Suastegui was the first pregnant woman in Nebraska to have a confirmed case of the mosquito-borne virus.
Read more at Live Well Nebraska.
Cleveland Clinic Children's NICUs becomes first in region to give families live webcam access
CLEVELAND - A new addition to Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital aims to give parents who have babies born prematurely greater peace of mind.
The Clinic's Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) will get a new web camera system, becoming the first NICUs in the region to get the system. The Clinic will launch the 86 NicView cameras at Hillcrest Hospital and other main campus locations.
Read more at News 5 Cleveland.
CDC sees decline in rate of overweight babies in low-income families
The percentage of babies in the Women, Infants and Children nutritional assistance program with a high weight-for-length dropped from almost 19% in 2010 to below 16% in 2014 among Native American families and from 17% to less than 14% among Hispanic families, according to a CDC study. Researchers said changes to the WIC program led to increased consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and may have contributed to the improvement
More at Health Day News
Study: NAS prevalence increasing faster in rural US
The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome in the rural US rose from 1.2 cases per 1,000 births in 2004 to 7.5 in 2013, compared with an increase from 1.4 cases per 1,000 births to 4.8 over the same period in urban areas, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics. The findings, based on Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality data, also showed that the surge in NAS rates was tied to increasing opioid use among pregnant women.
More at New York Times
Preemies may have long-term benefits from "kangaroo mother care"
Preterm and low birth weight babies who received "kangaroo mother care" -- skin-to-skin contact and exclusive or near-exclusive breast-feeding -- had 61% lower odds of infant mortality, higher breast-feeding rates, fewer infections leading to hospitalization, better math and language test scores, and higher hourly wages in early adulthood, compared with those who didn't receive such care. The findings in Pediatrics also showed that those who received kangaroo care had lower odds of aggression, impulsiveness, hyperactivity and anti-social behavior at age 20.
More at Reuters
Some infants take weeks to regain birth weight, study finds
Researchers found that 50% of newborns reached or exceeded their birth weight at 9 days and 10 days after vaginal and cesarean section births, respectively, but 14% of those born vaginally and 24% of those born by C-section had not reached their birth weight at 14 days. The findings in Pediatrics, based on 2009 to 2013 data involving nearly 144,000 infants born at or near full term with healthy birth weight, also showed that 5% of those born vaginally and 8% of those born by C-section hadn't regained their birth weights by 21 days of life.
More at Reuters
Preterm Infants RSV Burden the Who, What, and Why
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data reveals that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading viral cause of death in infants under 1 year old, with nearly nine times the mortality rate of influenza. RSV also is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections and bronchiolitis in infants and children. Nearly all children become infected with RSV at least once by the time they are 2 years old, with the peak incidence occurring between 2–3 months of age. In the United States, RSV accounts for approximately 125,000 hospitalizations and 250 infant deaths every year. To give greater perspective in 2014 the percentage of preterm infants born between 28 to 31 weeks gestation in the U.S. was 0.91 or roughly 36,000 babies.
As it stands today there is no antiviral drug or vaccine available for the prevention of RSV. Palivizumab (Synagis), manufactured by MedImmune, is a monoclonal antibody used as prophylaxis to prevent serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in children. In 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) deemed RSV vaccine development a top priority, and estimates vaccine availability within the next 5–10 years. In July 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID) concluded that the “limited clinical benefit” for infants after 29 weeks gestation together with the associated high cost of the immunoprophylaxis no longer supported the routine use of palivizumab. Prior to the 2014 AAP guideline change the 2009 AAP palivizumab guidelines provided prophylaxis for infants before 32 weeks gestation with chronic conditions as well as for those infants before 35 weeks gestation that met certain environmental criteria putting them at increased RSV risk.
More at NANN E-News
Breast-feeding infants may experience less pain during vaccinations
Researchers found that babies who breast-fed during vaccinations cried for 38 seconds less on average and had lower pain scores compared with those who didn't breast-feed. The findings in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, based on a review of 10 studies involving 1,066 babies ages 1 month to 12 months, also showed that breast-feeding more effectively reduced vaccination pain than maternal cuddling or massage, pain creams, injection site sprays, or sugar water.
More at Reuters
Coalition Signs On To Letter To FDA Commissioner Regarding Maternal Nutrition
RSV Season Takes Toll on Preterm Infants and Senior Citizens
One month into the Respiratory Syncytial Virus season, data shows that the disease is taking its toll. RSV is a contagious seasonal virus that causes respiratory infections and can prove deadly for vulnerable preterm infants and senior citizens.
More at Institute for Patient Access