Author Archives: Keith Barrington

About Keith Barrington

I am a neonatologist and clinical researcher at Sainte Justine University Health Center in Montréal

Comment on my post about the Beneductus trial

Posted on 12 January 2023 by Keith Barrington

The authors of the Beneductus trial commented on my post about the trial, but it has somehow disappeared from the comment section of the blog, as they raise very valid points, I thought I would copy what they sent here … Continue reading →

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The PDA, will we ever know what to do?

Posted on 21 December 2022 by Keith Barrington

There are a few trials on-going, or near completion or, as this one, just published, that should give us insight into what to do about an open ductus in the very preterm. This trial has major limitations, but does give … Continue reading →

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Not Neonatology: Oh Canada…. Warbler

Posted on 23 November 2022 by Keith Barrington

Still on my trip to Ecuador, where I saw my first ever Canada Warbler. I know it is just a name, but it was most pleasing to find this bird, which does indeed migrate to Canada each year but I … Continue reading →

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Not neonatology: a trip to Ecuador

Posted on 22 November 2022 by Keith Barrington

A break in blogging for a couple of weeks, while I take a trip to Ecuador, with the main purpose of birdwatching and photography. Ecuador is the country with the greatest avian biodiversity in the world, and with and amazingly … Continue reading →

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How much protein should we provide to the preterm in the first days of life?

Posted on 11 November 2022 by Keith Barrington

Extremely preterm infants become catabolic rapidly after birth, with the sudden interruption of their trans-placental nutrient supply to the fetus, who becomes a baby that has tiny stores of fat or glycogen. We progressed in neonatology from starving preterm babies … Continue reading →

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It’s Raining Antibiotics

Posted on 8 November 2022 by Keith Barrington

Early onset sepsis is a serious condition with a substantial morbidity, and, thankfully, a relatively low mortality in recent years. Prompt recognition and early treatment are essential, but early clinical signs and risk factors tend to be non-specific. As a … Continue reading →

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Do omega 3 fatty acids make preterm babies smarter?

Posted on 4 November 2022 by Keith Barrington

It seems that they do, perhaps a little bit! There are now a confusing array of trials of supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in preterm infants. They have compared various control diets to differing PUFA supplements. Many of them have … Continue reading →

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Making intubation safer for the most fragile babies

Posted on 31 October 2022 by Keith Barrington

Many, many years ago, when I was a young trainee physician, we learned almost everything “on the job”. I can’t remember the first patient I intubated, but there were no mannequins, and no simulations, the phrase “see one, do one, … Continue reading →

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Time to stop placebo injections in neonatal research projects

Posted on 27 October 2022 by Keith Barrington

Randomized controlled trials are the bedrock of evidence-based medicine. If a treatment has a good theoretical rationale, and preclinical data showing efficacy, the only way to prove efficacy in the human is to randomise patients to the treatment, compared to … Continue reading →

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Protein pump inhibitors cause coeliac disease and asthma, and they are unnecessary.

Posted on 24 October 2022 by Keith Barrington

OK, that title is perhaps slightly too definite, the publications that I wanted to discuss are observational studies, which can only prove associations, but it would be hard to perform the prospective controlled trials that would be necessary to prove … Continue reading →

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