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

Under Pressure…

Posted on 7 November 2018 by Keith Barrington

This post “under pressure” isn’t about the classic collaboration between David Bowie and Queen at Live Aid, rather it is about how to wean CPAP. Should we trial preterm babies off for a period every day, or either progressively reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | Tagged , | 1 Comment

More about platelets

Posted on 6 November 2018 by Keith Barrington

The recent RCT comparing transfusion thresholds of 25,000 per mm3 to 50,000 in very preterm babies has generated a great deal of discussion. The result was somewhat unexpected, I think. I would not have been surprised to find that there … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | 1 Comment

Platelet transfusions don’t prevent bleeding (and may increase mortality).

Posted on 2 November 2018 by Keith Barrington

When do you give a platelet transfusion? You could easily ask 10 different neonatologists and get 15 different answers. I would be one of those who gave several different answers depending on the clinical situation, believing that thrombocytopenia of different … Continue reading →

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Heads up?

Posted on 1 November 2018 by Keith Barrington

A new RCT published in the Journal of Perinatology suggests that a midline head position with head elevated at 30 degrees might reduce severe intracranial hemorrhage. (Kochan M, et al. Elevated midline head positioning of extremely low birth weight infants: … Continue reading →

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Active intervention at 22 weeks gestation, is it futile?

Posted on 29 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

In order to respond to the question posed in the title we need first to agree on what “futile” means. It could mean “it never works” or, “it can work but the ultimate result is so bad that it isn’t … Continue reading →

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Prebiotics and preterms and probiotics.

Posted on 25 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

A selection of recent publications, regarding the issues in the title, that I find interesting and which seem to tell a consistent story. From Nick Embleton’s group the following interesting study (Stewart CJ, et al. Longitudinal development of the gut … Continue reading →

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Supporting breast feeding : don’t dump the domperidone.

Posted on 24 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

Breast is best, as I say repeatedly, and mother’s breast milk is the best of the lot; we should do all we can that is effective and safe to ensure that mothers of preterm babies can supply adequate milk for … Continue reading →

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Not neonatology: Snow Goose migration

Posted on 23 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

Every year at least 1 million Snow Geese migrate from the Canadian arctic tundra towards the Carolinas. Many of them stop in Quebec especially around the region of Cap Tourmente, not far from Quebec city. There they eat the rhizomes … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | 2 Comments

Clunk/click every hip

Posted on 23 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

For those of you who are not of a certain age, and brought up in England, that title will not mean very much. When seat belts in cars were first made compulsory in the UK there was a widely quoted … Continue reading →

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Moral Distress in the NICU, a webinar.

Posted on 22 October 2018 by Keith Barrington

Trisha Prentice is a neonatologist in Melbourne who has been working with Annie Janvier and Peter Davis examining the occurrence and causes of moral distress in the NICU. They have already published a systematic review of the subject (Prentice T, … Continue reading →

Posted in Neonatal Research | 1 Comment