Author Archives: Keith Barrington

Unknown's avatar

About Keith Barrington

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

Not neonatology: Julian Bream 1933-2020 RIP

Posted on 17 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

Most of my readers probably don’t know that for a few years I have been struggling to learn Classical Guitar. One of my inspirations is Julian Bream, who was fundamental in the UK in the recognition of the guitar as … Continue reading →

Posted in Not neonatology | 1 Comment

ELVIS is alive!

Posted on 17 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

I was searching through the lyrics of ELVIS songs for a quote that might be more apt for this new blog post than “It’s now or ever”, which I have used previously, when I realized that I am a loser, … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Does erythropoietin prophylaxis prevent NEC? Unreliable data.

Posted on 14 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

Routine erythropoietin administration from early life in very preterm babies has been postulated to be neuro-protective. Unfortunately, despite some early promising results, 2 large well-performed RCTs showed no benefit, including the largest with 750 babies under 28 weeks, which showed … Continue reading →

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

When should we transfuse preterm babies, and why?

Posted on 13 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

I was one of the investigators in the PINT trial (Kirpalani H, et al. The Premature Infants in Need of Transfusion (PINT) study: a randomized, controlled trial of a restrictive (low) versus liberal (high) transfusion threshold for extremely low birth … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Outcomes of infants born at 22 weeks gestation; attitudes are the best predictor of survival

Posted on 10 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

Among the most immature infants, mortality and morbidity are common even if they receive active neonatal intensive care, a new systematic review has attempted to find out how common. Backes CH, et al. Proactive Neonatal Treatment at 22 Weeks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Omega-3 fatty acids, hype, and hope, and disappointment.

Posted on 7 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

Omega-3 fatty acids seem to be important for many functions, and currently many babies, especially preterm babies appear to be deficient compared to babies born at term. There has been much research into these dietary components, and they certainly are … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Screening for early-onset neonatal sepsis in the UK. NICE or not?

Posted on 4 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

Evaluating a screening procedure for a rare serious phenomenon, such as early-onset neonatal sepsis, is tricky. A perfect screening process would catch all of the cases that require treating at an early stage and would be completely specific, thus eliminating … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

RSV prevention, fewer jabs for babies?

Posted on 4 August 2020 by Keith Barrington

With all the hype regarding COVID-19 and a vaccine that may or may not be coming soon, we can use the story of RSV as an object lesson. Why do we give passive immunization to preterm infants against RSV rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Why are so many mothers hypothyroid, and what should pediatricians do about it?

Posted on 27 July 2020 by Keith Barrington

I don’t know if, like me, you are surprised by how often when admitting a baby, or doing an antenatal consult, mothers are taking thyroxine. It seems that there is an epidemic of hypothyroidism during pregnancy, and I am not … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , | 2 Comments

One Million Page Views!

Posted on 27 July 2020 by Keith Barrington

I started this blog a few years ago as a replacement for my practice of sending an occasional email to local fellows and colleagues whenever I found an article particularly interesting or important. At the time I was thinking that … Continue reading →

Posted in Not neonatology | 7 Comments