Author Archives: Keith Barrington

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About Keith Barrington

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

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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

Treating seizures in the newborn: phenobarbitone unexpectedly not so bad!

Posted on 28 May 2020 by Keith Barrington

Or perhaps “probably better than the current fashionable alternative” might be a better title. Phenobarbitone (or phenobarbital, I will call it PHE) is one of the oldest anticonvulsants out there, and because of little good data, remains the drug of … Continue reading →

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Antenatal steroids : good, bad, or both?

Posted on 27 May 2020 by Keith Barrington

Antenatal steroids prior to very preterm birth save lives. Antenatal steroids prior to planned late preterm delivery reduce respiratory distress and increase hypoglycaemia. Might there be other long-term effects on brain structure? There are now some animal models which suggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Do estimates of survival change decisions made?

Posted on 26 May 2020 by Keith Barrington

Kidszun A, et al. Effect of Neonatal Outcome Estimates on Decision-Making Preferences of Mothers Facing Preterm Birth: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2020. This is a short report of an interesting idea, published as a research letter. The authors … Continue reading →

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Glucose screening and treatment in the newborn; what now?

Posted on 7 May 2020 by Keith Barrington

This is a field that stagnated in darkness for a while, “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and science is the sun” (with apologies to Romeo). Recent research has shown that 1. In healthy … Continue reading →

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Let it GLOW… Normal blood sugar profiles in newborn infants.

Posted on 6 May 2020 by Keith Barrington

To stay with this recent “hot topic” of this blog; what low blood sugar threshold should be used for intervention in the neonatal period? The usual risk factors (SGA, LGA, IDM, late preterm, maternal beta-blockers) select a group of babies … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged | 3 Comments