Category Archives: Neonatal Research

Do Blood transfusions trigger NEC? This month the answer is no.

Posted on 16 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

OK, not exactly this month, but “towards the end of last year” wouldn’t have been as good a title. Three case-control studies, with some differences in design and implementation, but all 3 with the same result, no evidence that red … Continue reading →

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Nasal ventilation after extubation, does synchronisation matter?

Posted on 16 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

When we performed the trial of nasal ventilation post-extubation in San Diego we used the Infantstar ventilator, synchronised to the babies’ respiratory efforts with a Graseby capsule stuck on the abdomen. Two other trials also used the same system, and … Continue reading →

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Lower oxygen resuscitation for preterms?

Posted on 15 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

A new publication from a group of us in the CNN, suggests that the answer to that query is ‘not so fast’. Rabi Y, Lodha A, Soraisham A, Singhal N, Barrington K, Shah PS, et al. Outcomes of preterm infants following … Continue reading →

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NICUs are working better: still room for improvement.

Posted on 11 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

As NICUs have become more effective, any proportional incremental improvements will necessarily get smaller, so larger and larger datasets will be needed to show any trends. The NICHD has just published data about survival and major acute morbidities among extremely … Continue reading →

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How long is too long?

Posted on 11 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

When a baby is unexpectedly born without a heart beat, and resuscitation is initiated, the outcome may be a failed resuscitation. Even if everything is done correctly. If you are doing everything correctly, and the baby doesn’t respond right away, … Continue reading →

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Pain is bad for you, sucrose makes it better (even if you are a rat).

Posted on 2 September 2015 by Keith Barrington

I rarely discuss animal research in this blog, but occasionally something striking stimulates a new post. I have discussed sucrose not that long ago, in particular I emphasized the over-interpretation of a secondary analysis of a non-randomized comparison of very … Continue reading →

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Oxygen is good for you

Posted on 28 August 2015 by Keith Barrington

Of course you can have too much of a good thing, but you should also try and stay above the minimum. The COT trial investigators, led by Christian Poets, have published a secondary analysis of the results, examining in particular … Continue reading →

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How the mighty are fallen

Posted on 26 August 2015 by Keith Barrington

It is sad to see a venerable publication like Pediatric Research publishing total drivel. For reasons that escape me, the latest, August 2015, edition starts with an “overview of the systematic reviews of acupuncture in children“. The problem with a high … Continue reading →

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Under Pressure….

Posted on 26 August 2015 by Keith Barrington

Colm O’Donnell once wrote an article with a whole line from a David Bowie song embedded in the article’s title (O’Donnell CPF. Turn and face the strange – ch..ch..ch..changes to neonatal resuscitation guidelines in the past decade. Journal of Paediatrics … Continue reading →

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Am I conflicted?

Posted on 25 August 2015 by Keith Barrington

Are conflicts of interest a big deal? Although many of us, definitely including myself, think that conflicts of interest are a serious issue in medical and academic medical practice, a recent series of puff-pieces editorials in the previously prestigious New … Continue reading →

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