Monthly Archives: October 2023

Interesting study, impossible results. Donor breast milk is not toxic.

Posted on 29 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

Is it possible that giving artificial formula to babies will prevent 90% of the deaths of very preterm babies, compared to using donor human milk? (Chehrazi M, et al. Outcomes in very preterm infants receiving an exclusive human milk diet, … Continue reading →

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The preterm GI tract is not sterile

Posted on 27 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

The FDA are at it again, they seem to be on a mission to go after suppliers of probiotics for preterm babies, and have now attacked Abbott. They appear to have demanded that they stop marketing their probiotic product, as … Continue reading →

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How to express negative results… or positive ones

Posted on 25 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

After any trial result, there is always a possibility that the true effect of an intervention is different to that shown in the sample who were studied. That is the whole rationale behind using statistics, a trial on a small … Continue reading →

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On which Planet? Reducing platelet transfusions in the newborn.

Posted on 24 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

Recent publications about platelet transfusions in the newborn. Hopefully, everyone has integrated the findings of Planet-2 into their protocols and guidelines. Curley A, et al. Randomized Trial of Platelet-Transfusion Thresholds in Neonates. N Engl J Med. 2019;380(3):242-51. This trial, in … Continue reading →

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Addressing Prognostic Uncertainty

Posted on 23 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

I recently gave a presentation to the Pediatrix consortium which was based on our review article about the approach to take after diagnosis of a serious intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) in the very preterm infant. (Chevallier M, et al. Decision-making for … Continue reading →

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Closing the PDA… or leaving it alone?

Posted on 20 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

Two new publications, in the Journal of Pediatrics, report trends in definitive closure of the PDA. This is a subject that I haven’t written about much on the blog, I wrote about the Beneductus trial last year, which was an … Continue reading →

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Artificial Formulae and NEC. It is not necessarily the protein source!

Posted on 18 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

As mentioned several times recently, artificial formula seems to lead to an increase in Necrotising Enterocolitis, compared to donor milk. Of note, the trials in the Cochrane Systematic Review include both those with the entire diet being formula or donor … Continue reading →

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Preventing NEC. Does erythropoietin have a role? Unreliable data.

Posted on 16 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

I wrote a similarly titled post 3 years ago, which lamented the poor research practices of a group in Zhengzhou, who seem to perform large RCTs, then register them after completion, and sometimes register them with different primary outcomes to … Continue reading →

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Preventing NEC : Gastric acid has a purpose, don’t block it.

Posted on 13 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

As this series of posts have all had something to do with prevention of Necrotising Enterocolitis, I thought I’d write about some recent articles which refer to one of the risk factors for NEC, the use of acid suppression medications. … Continue reading →

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The myth of the “exclusive human milk diet”; fortification options for breast milk.

Posted on 12 October 2023 by Keith Barrington

The Exclusive Human Milk Diet sounds superficially immediately convincing: “We should only give milk products derived from human milk to human babies”. But, is it more than just a catchy phrase? The major company which is responsible for producing a … Continue reading →

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