Category Archives: Neonatal Research

Should we be giving erythropoietin, or analogues, to preterm infants?

Posted on 14 May 2025 by Keith Barrington

In some pre-clinical models, erythropoietin acts as a neuroprotective agent, which led to the performance of clinical trials to determine whether there was a positive impact on outcomes of the preterm. The latest study has just been published, and it … Continue reading →

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Neonatal Research Shorts : May 2025

Posted on 13 May 2025 by Keith Barrington

Dutta S, et al. Seven-day versus 14-day antibiotic course for culture-proven neonatal sepsis: a multicentre randomised non-inferiority trial in a low and middle-income country. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2025. This is a multicentre trial from India of neonates … Continue reading →

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Therapeutic Hypothermia at 35 weeks

Posted on 11 April 2025 by Keith Barrington

In response to a couple of thoughtful comments to my previous post, I thought I would try to address the specific issue of the infant of 35 weeks. (Faix RG, et al. Whole-Body Hypothermia for Neonatal Encephalopathy in Preterm Infants … Continue reading →

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Therapeutic Hypothermia in the Late Preterm Infant

Posted on 9 April 2025 by Keith Barrington

Current guidelines support the use of therapeutic hypothermia for term infants with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. Both the Canadian and the US guidelines include infants born at 35 weeks gestation. However, the data supporting efficacy for those late preterm infants, is … Continue reading →

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Prolonging CPAP in the preterm to improve pulmonary outcomes

Posted on 8 April 2025 by Keith Barrington

I wrote about this trial after last year’s PAS meeting, mentioning that it looked like a potential significant improvement in respiratory care of the preterm The full publication confirms that is a real possibility. McEvoy CT, et al. Extended Continuous … Continue reading →

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Neonatal Research Shorts : April 2025

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Keith Barrington

I used to do a series of shorter posts called “weekly updates” but I ran out of steam and have concentrated on longer posts in recent years. The last couple of weeks, with clinical service, I have had less time … Continue reading →

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Early hydrocortisone in shock?

Posted on 21 February 2025 by Keith Barrington

A few years ago, we published our experience with the use of hydrocortisone in newborn infants in septic shock (Altit G, et al. Corticosteroid Therapy in Neonatal Septic Shock-Do We Prevent Death? Am J Perinatol. 2018;35(2):146-51), like many such studies … Continue reading →

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Is it a duck? Is it a mole? Platipus and Trial Design Innovations.

Posted on 19 February 2025 by Keith Barrington

When the platypus was first captured, killed, skinned and the pelt sent to a zoologist in London, George Shaw in 1799, he thought he was being scammed. He tried to find the stitches that had been used to cobble together … Continue reading →

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A lower limit for restrictive transfusion strategies? Not directly neonatology…

Posted on 9 February 2025 by Keith Barrington

Several trials of liberal versus more restrictive transfusion practices have been published, and overall, it seems that being very restrictive in transfusions has no negative impacts on clinical outcomes, and depending on the trial, some positive benefits of avoiding transfusion. … Continue reading →

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Bilirubin is Bad for the Brain! Who knew?

Posted on 4 February 2025 by Keith Barrington

We have known for a very long time that bilirubin can cause an encephalopathy leading to acute and chronic clinical impacts, the most severe chronic impacts being kernicterus, a disabling movement disorder and nerve deafness. What seems to be the … Continue reading →

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