• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.281-287
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• 2011

Purpose: The study was done to explore growth variation in head circumference (HC) in extremely premature infants (EPI) with brain injury. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 79 cohort samples from the archives of the catch-up growth project. Mean age of the infants was 29.2 weeks of gestation and mean HC, 27.1 cm at birth. Their HC measurements were retrieved from the archives up to 6 month of corrected age (CA) and analyzed against history of brain injury during hospitalization. Results: Overall growth retardation in HC was observed in the cohort sample compared to longer gestation premature infants. EPI with brain injury showed decreased HC compared to infants without brain injury, and resulting growth variation across 6 month of CA. Highest retardation in HC growth was observed in male infants with brain injury. Conclusion: Extreme preterm birth itself may function as a major obstacle against HC growth toward term age in EPI. Sustainability of brain injury could be observed with higher HC growth retardation after term. Evolutionary favor to female infants may exist in HC growth of EPI. Intensive education on HC monitoring is highly suggested for parents of EPI, particularly with children with brain injury.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.155-160
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• 2010

Metabolic acidosis is commonly encountered issues in the management of critically ill neonates and especially of preterm infants during early neonatal days. In extremely premature infants, low glomerular filtration rate and immaturity of renal tubules to produce new bicarbonate causes renal bicarbonate loss. Higher intake of amino acids, relatively greater contribution of protein to the energy metabolism and mineralization process in growing bones are also responsible for higher acid load in premature infant than in adult. Despite widespread use of sodium bicarbonate in the management of severe metabolic acidosis, use of sodium bicarbonate in premature infants should be restricted to a reasonable but unproven exception such as ongoing renal loss. Despite concern about the low pH value (<7.2) which can compromise cellular metabolic function, no treatment guideline has been established regarding the management of metabolic acidosis in premature infants. Appropriately powered randomized controlled trials of base therapy to treat metabolic acidosis in critically ill newborn infants are demanding.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제61권10호
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• pp.315-321
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• 2018

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of transient intubation for surfactant administration and extubated to nasal continuous positive pressure (INSURE) for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to identify the factors associated with INSURE failure in extremely premature infants. Methods: Eighty-four infants with gestational age less than 28 weeks treated with surfactant administration for RDS for 8 years were included. Perinatal and neonatal characteristics were retrospectively reviewed, and major pulmonary outcomes such as duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) plus death at 36-week postmenstrual age (PMA) were compared between INSURE (n=48) and prolonged MV groups (n=36). The factors associated with INSURE failure were determined. Results: Duration of MV and the occurrence of BPD at 36-week PMA were significantly lower in INSURE group than in prolonged MV group (P<0.05), but BPD plus death at 36-week PMA was not significantly different between the 2 groups. In a multivariate analysis, a reduced duration of MV was only significantly associated with INSURE (P=0.001). During the study period, duration of MV significantly decreased over time with an increasing rate of INSURE application (P<0.05), and BPD plus death at 36-week PMA also tended to decrease over time. A low arterial-alveolar oxygen tension ratio (a/APO2 ratio) was a significant predictor for INSURE failure (P=0.001). Conclusion: INSURE was the noninvasive ventilation strategy in the treatment of RDS to reduce MV duration in extremely premature infants with gestational age less than 28 weeks.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2018

Extremely low birth weight infants remain at increased risk of intraventricular hemorrhage from the fragile vascular bed of the germinal matrix; the roles of hypotension (ischemia) and reperfusion (hyperemia) in the development of intraventricular hemorrhage are still debated. Cerebrovascular pressure autoregulation protects the brain by maintaining constant cerebral blood flow despite changes in blood pressure. The ontogeny of cerebrovascular pressure autoregulation has not been well established and uncertainty remains about the optimal arterial blood pressure required to support brain perfusion. Another important aspect of premature cerebral hemodynamics is the critical closing pressure--the arterial blood pressure at which cerebral blood flow ceases. Interestingly, in premature infants, the critical closing pressure approximates the mean arterial blood pressure. Often in this unique population, cerebral blood flow occurs only during systole when the diastolic arterial blood pressure is equal to the critical closing pressure. Moreover, the diastolic closing margin, a metric of cerebral perfusion that normalizes diastolic arterial blood pressure to the critical closing pressure, may be a better measure than arterial blood pressure for defining cerebral perfusion in premature infants. Elevated diastolic closing margin has been associated with intraventricular hemorrhage. This review summarizes the current state of understanding of cerebral hemodynamics in premature infants.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제66권3호
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• pp.274-280
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• 2023

Post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) in preterm infant is common, life-threatening and the main cause of bad developmental outcomes. Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is used as the ultimate treatment for PHH. Low birth weight and low gestational age are the combination of worse prognostic factors while the single most important prognostic factor of VP shunting is age. Aggressive and early intervention have better effect in intraventricular hemorrhage and intracranial pressures control. It reduces infection rate and brain damage resulted in delayed shunt insertion. It is extremely important to let PHH infants get older and gain weight to have internal organs to be matured before undergoing VP shunt. As premature infants undergo shunt after further growth, shunt-related complications would be reduced. So temporary surgical intervention is critical for PHH infants to have them enough time until permanently shunted.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.237-242
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• 2008

To investigate the trends in the survival rate (SR) for very low birth weight infants (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Korea, a total of 43 articles pertaining to SR were analyzed, covering the years from 1967 to 2007. The changes in SR were compared using 5 year periods. The SR for VLBWI has increased remarkably, from 31.8% in early 1960 to 65.8% in early 1990 and 78.8% in early 2000. The SR for ELBWI has increased from 8.2% in early 1960 to 37.4% in early 1990 and 62.4% in early 2000. The SR has improved steeply since early 1990. When the SRs for VLBWI in Korea were compared with those in the U.S.A. and Japan, the figures were 40%, 72%, and 79% in 1985; 65.8%, 82%, and 86% in 1990; 71.3%, 86%, and 88% in 1995; 78.8%, 86%, and 89% in 2000, respectively. Although the recent SRs for VLBWI and ELBWI in Korea has improved rapidly, they have not yet reached the levels in these highly developed countries. To obtain accurate statistics that could be represented as an SR for premature infants in Korea, we have to develop a nationwide network database project.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제57권12호
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• pp.505-513
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• 2014

While the survival of extremely premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome has increased due to advanced respiratory care in recent years, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. NEC is more prevalent in lower gestational age and lower birth weight groups. It is characterized by various degrees of mucosal or transmural necrosis of the intestine. Its exact pathogenesis remains unclear, but prematurity, enteral feeding, bacterial products, and intestinal ischemia have all been shown to cause activation of the inflammatory cascade, which is known as the final common pathway of intestinal injury. Awareness of the risk factors for NEC; practices to reduce the risk, including early trophic feeding with breast milk and following the established feeding guidelines; and administration of probiotics have been shown to reduce the incidence of NEC. Despite advancements in the knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of NEC, there is currently no universal prevention measure for this serious and often fatal disease. Therefore, new potential techniques to detect early biomarkers or factors specific to intestinal inflammation, as well as further strategies to prevent the activation of the inflammatory cascade, which is important for disease progression, should be investigated.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제60권3호
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• pp.64-69
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• 2017

Purpose: The goal of nutritional support for very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants from birth to term is to match the in utero growth rates; however, this is rarely achieved. Methods: We evaluated postdischarge growth patterns and growth failure in 81 Korean VLBW infants through a retrospective study. Weight and height were measured and calculated based on age percentile distribution every 3 months until age 24 months. Growth failure was defined as weight and height below the 10th percentile at 24 months. For the subgroup analysis, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants were evaluated. The growth patterns based on the Korean, World Health Organization (WHO), or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standard were serially compared over time. Results: At postconception age (PCA) 40 weeks, 47 (58%) and 45 infants (55%) showed growth failure in terms of weight and height, respectively. At PCA 24 months, 20 infants (24%) showed growth failure for weight and 14 (18%) for height. Growth failure rates were higher for the SGA infants than for the appropriate-weight-for-gestational age infants at PCA 24 months (P=0.045 for weight and P=0.038 for height). Growth failure rates were higher for the ELBW infants than for the non-ELBW infants at PCA 24 months (P<0.001 for weight and P=0.003 for height). Significant differences were found among the WHO, CDC, and Korean standards (P<0.001). Conclusion: Advancements in neonatal care have improved the catch-up growth of VLBW infants, but this is insufficient. Careful observation and aggressive interventions, especially in SGA and ELBW infants, are needed.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제57권10호
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• pp.425-433
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• 2014

Adrenal and thyroid hormones are essential for the regulation of intrauterine homeostasis, and for the timely differentiation and maturation of fetal organs. These hormones play complex roles during fetal life, and are believed to underlie the cellular communication that coordinates maternal-fetal interactions. They serve to modulate the functional adaptation for extrauterine life during the perinatal period. The pathophysiology of systemic vasopressor-resistant hypotension is associated with low levels of circulating cortisol, a result of immaturity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in preterm infants under stress. Over the past few decades, studies in preterm infants have shown abnormal clinical findings that suggest adrenal or thyroid dysfunction, yet the criteria used to diagnose adrenal insufficiency in preterm infants continue to be arbitrary. In addition, although hypothyroidism is frequently observed in extremely low gestational age infants, the benefits of thyroid hormone replacement therapy remain controversial. Screening methods for congenital hypothyroidism or congenital adrenal hyperplasia in the preterm neonate are inconclusive. Thus, further understanding of fetal and perinatal adrenal and thyroid function will provide an insight into the management of adrenal and thyroid function in the preterm infant.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.193-200
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• 2010

목적: 초극소 저체중 출생아는 경구수유를 진행하는데 여러가지 어려움을 겪어, 경구수유로의 이행이 늦어진다. 본 연구에 서는 초극소 저체중 출생아 중, 수유 시 산소포화도 저하가 발생하는 군과 산소포화도 저하가 없는 군 사이의 특징을 비교하고, 초극소 저체중 출생아의 경구수유 이행 및 입원기간에 미치는 영향에 대해 알아보았다. 또한 초극소 저체중 출생아에서 구강자극요법을 시행하는 경우, 수유 시 산소포화도 저하와 경구수유 능력의 발달, 입원기간에 미치는 효과를 알아보았다. 방법: 제 1상 연구에서는 2003년 10월부터 2009년 1월까지 서울아산병원 신생아 중환자실에 입원한 125명의 초극소 저체중 출생아를 대상으로 차트 분석을 통한 후향적 연구를 실시하여, 수유 시 산소포화도 저하 여부에 따른 특성, 산소포화도 저하가 경구수유 능력 발달 및 입원기간에 미치는 영향에 대해 알아보았다. 제 2상 연구에서는 2009년 3월부터 2010년 5월까지 29명의 초극소 저체중 출생아에게 구강자극요법을 시행하며 전향적으로 자료를 수집하였고, 81명의 초극소 저체중 출생아에서 후향적 코호트 연구를 통해 두 그룹을 비교 분석하였다. 결과: 초극소 저체중 출생아의 72.8%에서 수유 시 산소포화도 저하를 보였고. 그 중 37.4%에서 서맥을 동반하였다. 수유 시산소포화도 저하가 발생하는 시점은 평균 58.2일이었고, 당시 평균 175.4 mL의 수유를 하고 있었으며, 대부분 위관영양과 경구수유를 병행하고 있었지만, 36.3%에서는 위관영양만 시행하고 있었다. 수유 시 산소포화도 저하가 발생한 군은 정상군 보다 출생 시 재태연령이 낮고, 5분 아프가 점수가 낮았으며, 위식도 역류 및 상인두 부조화가 유의하게 많았다. 또한 기관지폐이형성이 있는 초극소 저체중 출생아에서 수유 시 산소포화도의 저하가 발생할 확률은 19배 증가하였다. 수유 시 산소포화도 저하가 있는 군은 경구수유로 완전히 이행하는 시기가 늦었으며, 입원기간도 길었다. 위 결과를 토대로, 초극소 저체중 출생아에서 구강자극요법을 시행하였을 때 대조군에 비해 경구수유 시작시기 및 경구수유로 완전히 이행한 시기가 빨랐으며, 입원기간이 단축되었다. 결론: 초극소 저체중 출생아에서 구강자극요법은 경구수유능력 발달에 긍정적인 효과가 있으며 입원기간을 단축하는데 도움이 된다.