Monthly Archives: February 2016

Steroids directly in the lungs? Version 2

Posted on 24 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

A couple of weeks ago I discussed a new multicenter RCT which examined the effects of multiple repeated doses of steroids, given by inhalation starting on the first day of life, and continuing, at least until the infants reached 14 … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Still more doubts about BOOSTing saturations?

Posted on 22 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

I won’t make a point-by-point response to Reese’s comments, mostly because I agree with most of them! Oxygen is toxic. Minimizing oxygen toxicity is a vitally important issue. Alarm fatigue is a major problem. In our NICU we performed an … Continue reading →

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All oscillators are equal, but some oscillators are more equal than others

Posted on 22 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

My readers are a highly educated bunch and I am sure that the anglophones among you will recognize that title as a bastardized quotation from “Animal Farm”. Not my favorite of George Orwell, a bit too obvious as an analogy … Continue reading →

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More Doubts about BOOSTing saturations?

Posted on 22 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

As I just mentioned I received another thoughtful comment from Reese Clark, which I reproduce in its entirety below: “After re-reading my post and at the risk of being a bit redundant with what Dr Barrington has already carefully presented … Continue reading →

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Doubts about BOOSTING saturations?

Posted on 22 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

I received a very thoughtful comment from Reese Clark, who many of you will know as a leader in neonatology whose many years of experience and important scientific contributions to neonatology make him someone worth listening to. He has doubts … Continue reading →

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Do Clinical Guidelines make a difference?

Posted on 17 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

The question in the title is hard to answer, without a randomized controlled trial of some kind where the guidelines are followed in one group, and not in another. The whole point of most guidelines, though, is to put the … Continue reading →

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BOOST-II long term outcomes

Posted on 16 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

The long-running epic of the oxygen saturation targeting trials is nearing completion. This publication of the joint results of the Australia and UK trials now includes the primary outcome for the trials, the combined rate of death or “disability”. Australia … Continue reading →

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Antenatal Steroids at 36 weeks?

Posted on 11 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

Most of the studies of antenatal steroids for lung maturation included mothers at less than 34 weeks. Most babies at 34 to 36 weeks do fine, although there is a growing realization of their increased long term risks. Even the … Continue reading →

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Preventing and Treating Sepsis in Preterm Babies

Posted on 10 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

These two studies are both issues that I am involved with, Theresa Ochoa’s study I was aware of, and was waiting for the full publication, the other, from Egypt, I didn’t know about but should have done, but it confirms … Continue reading →

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Good Advice

Posted on 9 February 2016 by Keith Barrington

Sometime you can find things on the Internet that are better than many medical help sites. Here is advice that can apply to almost anyone with a newborn baby who has a life-changing diagnosis, almost anytime. Always remember this: “A diagnosis … Continue reading →

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