Extremely low birth weight

Ramanathan R, Siassi B, deLemos RA. Severe retinopathy of prematurity in extremely low birth weight infants after short-term dexamethasone therapy. J Perinatol 1995 15(3) 178-82. 

Stark AR, Carlo WA, Tyson JE, Papile LA, Wright LL, Shankaran S, Donovan EF, Oh W, Bauer CR, Saha S, Poole WK, Stoll BJ. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Adverse effects of early dexamethasone in extremely-low-birth-weight infants. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. N Engl J Med 2001 344(2) 95-101. 

J. A. Blaymore Bier, A. E. Ferguson, Y. Morales, J. A. Liebling, W. Oh, B. R. Bohd, Breast-feeding infants who were extremely low birth weight, Pediatrics, 100 (1997), E3. 

Ohls RK. Erythropoietin treatment in extremely low birth weight infants blood in versus blood out. J Pediatr 2002 141(l) 3-6. 

Sentipal-Walerius J, Dollberg S, Mimouni F, Doyle J, Gilmour C. Effect of pulsed dexamethasone therapy on tolerance of intravenously administered lipids in extremely low birth weight infants. J Pediatr 1999 134(2) 229-32. 

In five infants of extremely low birth weights, who were given either sodium polystyrene sulfonate or calcium polystyrene sulfonate orally for hyperkalemia, masses were palpable in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen and visible radiographically as opaque masses in the stomach (15). At autopsy, the palpable mass was identified as a solid chalk-like concretion and X-ray diffraction showed that the material was Brushite. The authors suggested that oral exchange resins should not be used in critically HI, extremely low birth-weight infants. 

Ohlsson A, Hosking M. Complications followmg oral admmistration of exchange resins in extremely low-birth-weight mfants. Eur J Pediatr 1987 146(6) 571. ... 

Holler B, Omar S, Farid M, Patterson Jevitz M. Effect of Fluid and Electrolyte Management on Amphotericin B-Induced Nephrotoxicity Among Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants. Pediatrics 2004 113. 

However, the most appropriate time to initiate therapy is controversial. Early PN within the first 24 hours of life has been recommended. Protein loss in extremely low-birth-weight infants can be twofold higher than in term infants, and frequently results in a negative nitrogen balance that cannot be corrected by... 

Susceptibility factors Preterm infants Of7629 preterm and term infants admitted to the Neonatal Unit of the Royal Women s Hospital between 2001 and 2008, the 411 infants who received their first immunizations in hospital were both very preterm and of extremely low birth weights (<1000g) [2 ]. There was post-immunization apnea in 22 infants of sufficient severity to warrant the introduction of either intermittent positive pressure ventilation (two cases) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (20 cases). Infants with respiratory deterioration after immunization had a higher incidence of previous septicemia. 

Puvabanditsin S, Garrow E, Weerasethsiri R, Joshi M, Brandsma E. Nicolau s syndrome induced by intramuscular vitamin K injection in two extremely low birth weight infants, hit J Dermatol 2010 49(9) 1047-9. 

Juul SE, McPherson RJ, Bauer LA, Ledbetter KJ, Gleason CA, Mayock DE. A phase FII trial of high-dose erythropoietin in extremely low birth weight infants pharmacokinetics and safety. Pediatrics 2008 122(2) 383-91. 

The authors conclude that the immature skin layer in extremely low-birth-weight infants in conjxmction with the lipophilicity of tetracaine are the most likely culprits for the bradyarrhythmia described above and surest to consider alternative substances such as Eutectic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics (EMLA) cream (lidocaine 25% and prilocaine 2.5%). 

MauUdi H, McNair C, Seller N, Kirsh J, Bradley Tf, Greenway SC, et aL Arrhythmia associated with tetracaine in an extremely low birth weight premature infant. Pediatrics 2012 130(6) el704-7. 

A review in the neonatology literature looked at the question of transfusion threshold in extremely low birth weight infants [14 ]. The author highlights that early follow-up on cognitive outcomes favours liberal transfusion strategy however, childhood studies favour restrictive transfusion strategy. 

Whyte RK, Neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely low-birth-weight infants randomly assigned to restrictive or liberal hemoglobin thresholds for blood transfusion. Semin Perinatol 2012 36(4) 290-3. 

---