Neonatal shortcuts

10/11/2025

Cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory markers to differentiate between neonatal bacterial meningitis and sepsis: A prospective study of diagnostic accuracy

08/11/2025

https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/216fe7b9-1faf-42af-bace-3ff6d41e593c?fbclid=IwY2xjawN75YhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4BUhzz70XgmBIbaZibozzpPJfMHgP4AFS6tFrZTmMttE4R6QOvamrEDB9I5A_aem_vZoPfrn5HaLKt19-vlYc4g

Test your knowledge with 20 advanced neonatal brain MRI questions covering HIE patterns, stroke detection, timing, sequences, and interpretation with detailed explanations.

08/11/2025

In cases where infants have negative cultures, the determination to continue or discontinue antibiotic therapy is made on an individual basis, considering the clinical condition of the neonate and results from ancillary test (WBC, Immature WBC: total WBC ratio, platelet count, CRP, procalcitonin, ABGs)

Note that the likelihood of a negative culture from the newborn increases if the mother is treated with antibiotics.

CRP levels are typically within the normal range during the early stages of an acute infection, but tend to increase 12-24 hours after the infection sets in. Hence, the CRP measurement at birth cannot determine whether antibiotics should be initiated. Instead, an increased CRP test conducted 12-24 hours after birth can be utilized to guide antibiotic therapy by monitoring the trend.

Typically, if the infant appears to be in good health and the culture remains negative after 36-48 hours, it is generally recommended to discontinue antibiotic therapy, as the likelihood of sepsis in such circumstances is low.

Prolonged antibiotic use in the first week of life among VLBW infants and without culture-proven sepsis is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes.

07/11/2025

In situations where the colonization status for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is unknown, it is common practice to obtain GBS cultures at the time of presentation from mothers in premature labor.

If there is a potential for the fetus to be viable at birth, antibiotic prophylaxis is administered as a preventive measure.

Note that GBS culture results are not reliable indicators of GBS status beyond five weeks. Therefore, if preterm labor occurs more than five weeks after a negative culture, the approach to management remains the same as that for a patient with unknown colonization status

07/11/2025

07/11/2025

Jitteriness is the most common movement disorder in the neonatal period.

Increase of movement with stimuli and stopping of the movement by age with slight flexion of the extremity.

Eye movements and autonomic changes (hypertension, apnea) do not accompany jitteriness; presence of these changes suggests epileptic episodes.

Jitteriness may be physiologic (benign) or may occur pathologically as a result of hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, intracranial hemorrhage, sepsis, hypothermia, hyperthyroidism and drug withdrawal reactions

03/11/2025

The skills videos on this page provide step-by-step instructions on topics like CPAP in the delivery room, performing and assisting with endotracheal intubation, epinephrine and volume expanders, plus much more. These videos are great refreshers for everyone and can serve as a standardized instructo...

27/10/2025

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00099228231165656?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online March 31, 2023 Request permissionsNot Always Sepsis: A Febrile Neonate With a Persistent CoughDaley Auvil, MD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2767-6532 [email protected], Kyrie Shomaker, MD, […], Jennifer Bleznak, MD, Lauren Smith, MD, and Laura...

27/10/2025

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807159 #249121995

This randomized clinical trial compares 2 types of noninvasive respiratory support on the basis of daily enteral feeding, signs of feeding intolerance, treatment effectiveness, peripheral oxygen saturation levels, fraction of inspired oxygen levels, and growth and respiratory outcomes.