View clinical trials related to Infant, Premature.
Filter by:The study is a two-armed randomized cross-over comparison of leakage with nasal prongs and nasal mask interface in newborn infants treated with CPAP, born after 28 weeks of gestational age. For infants with an interface leakage, the trial also includes an observational part evaluating simple measures to reduce leakage. The study will be carried out in the Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm and in the Östersund Hospital.
Despite evidence that both rapid weight gain and excessive body fat accrual are associated with overweight and obesity, usual neonatal care of preterm infants does not include assessment of body fat accrual. The study hypothesis is that identification of early changes in infant body composition (i.e. amount of fat mass and fat-free mass) reduces % body fat at 3 months of age.
Very low birth weight infants are at increased risk of requiring prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation and multiple intubations, both of which are risk factors for ventilator-induced lung injury and BPD. Thus, it is important to investigate respiratory support methods that are able to effectively oxygenate and ventilate these high risk preterm infants while reducing their risk of lung injury. Nasal high-frequency ventilation is one potential intervention that may decrease the risk of respiratory failure in very low birth weight infants. Small studies have shown effective respiratory support over short time periods in infants, however these studies use nasal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation. To the investigators' knowledge there is no published studies looking at the use of nasal high-frequency jet ventilation in this high risk population. Use of non-invasive high frequency ventilation (HFV) has been described as a rescue method following failure of other non-invasive ventilator modes or as a means to increase the success post-extubation. When used as invasive high frequency ventilation, high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) or high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) utilize supraphysiologic respiratory rates and small tidal volumes which has been shown to inflict less lung injury than conventional modes of ventilation. Using a mechanical newborn lung model, nasal HFV has improved CO2 removal when compared to conventional NIPPV. Animal studies in the lab of Kurt Albertine have shown improved ventilation and oxygenation in the high frequency nasal ventilation group versus the mechanical ventilation group in a preterm lamb model leading towards better alveolar formation noted histologically. The investigators hypothesize that extubation of very preterm infants to nHFJV will significantly decrease the rates of reintubation compared to those infants extubated to NIPPV.
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common problem in the neonatal intensive care unit and can be secondary to prematurity or congenital heart disease (CHD). PDA is the most common cardiovascular abnormality in preterm infants, and is seen in 55% of infants born at 28 weeks, and 1000 grams or less. In addition to producing heart failure and prolonged respiratory distress or ventilator dependence, PDA has been implicated in development of broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, interventricular hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In an Israeli population study 5.6% of all very low birth weight infants (VLBW) were diagnosed with NEC, and 9.4% of VLBW infants with PDA were found to have NEC. In a retrospective analysis of neonates with CHD exposed to Prostaglandin E found that the odds of developing NEC increased in infants with single ventricle physiology, especially hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The proposed pathophysiological explanation of NEC and PDA is a result of "diastolic steal" where blood flows in reverse from the mesenteric arteries back into the aorta leading to compromised diastolic blood flow and intestinal hypo-perfusion. Prior studies have demonstrated that infants with a hemodynamically significant PDA have decreased diastolic flow velocity of the mesenteric and renal arteries when measured by Doppler ultrasound, and an attenuated intestinal blood flow response to feedings in the post prandial period compared to infants without PDA. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has also been used to assess regional oxygen saturations (rSO2) in tissues such as the brain, kidney and mesentery in premature infants with PDA. These studies demonstrated lower baseline oxygenation of these tissues in infants with hemodynamically significant PDA. These prior NIRS studies evaluated babies with a median gestational age at the time of study of 10 days or less. It is unknown if this alteration in saturations will persist in extubated neonates with PDA at 12 or more days of life on full enteral feedings. In the present study the investigators hypothesize that infants with a PDA, whether secondary to prematurity or ductal dependent CHD, will have decreased splanchnic and renal perfusion and rSO2 renal/splanchnic measurements will be decreased during times of increased metabolic demand such as enteral gavage feeding. To test this hypothesis the investigators have designed a prospective observational study utilizing NIRS to record regional saturations at baseline, during feedings, and after feedings for 48 hours.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease that affects up to 35% of very low birth weight infants (VLBW < 1500 g). Based on the current numbers of VLBW infants born annually in the U.S., between 5,000-10,000 neonates will develop BPD each year. It is estimated that 8-42% of infants with BPD will develop pulmonary hypertension (PH). Moreover, it has been known since the 1980's that echocardiographic evidence of PH in infants with BPD is associated with up to 40% mortality. Treatment options to ameliorate PH in infants with BPD (BPD-PH) are limited. There have been no randomized clinical trials of any therapy in infants with BPD-PH. The standard care for the management of BPD-PH is to attempt to resolve the underlying lung disorder and the judicious use of oxygen as a potent pulmonary vasodilator. Using this management approach, which has not changed since the 1980's, the survival rates for infants with BPD-PH in the 2000's has been reported to be 64% at 6 months and 53% at 2 years after diagnosis of PH. The lack of improvement in outcomes for the past 3 decades has led to the widespread agreement that novel and effective therapies are desperately needed for infants with BPD-PH. The goal is to develop oral L-citrulline clinically for the treatment of pediatric pulmonary hypertension associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD-PH); before pursuing a large scale treatment trial, pharmacokinetic (PK) dose-finding, tolerability studies in patients at high risk of developing BPD-PH are warranted. The hypothesis is that oral L-citrulline will be well tolerated, without significant adverse effects in infants at high risk of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with BPD. The investigators propose to first characterize the PK profile of oral L-citrulline in order to define an appropriate dose range and treatment interval for infants at high risk of developing BPD-PH. Then using the doses and intervals generated by the PK profile, with a maximum dose of 3 g/kg/d, the investigators propose to evaluate the tolerability and ability to achieve the target study drug level (100-150 micromolar) in babies treated for 72 hours with oral L-citrulline. These studies will provide the data needed to design a full-scale randomized multi-center trial to evaluate the efficacy of oral L-citrulline therapy to ameliorate BPD-PH in human infants, a patient population that has a desperate need of new therapies.
Multiple factors contribute to growth failure in infants with BPD, including poor nutrient stores, inadequate intake, increased losses, and increased needs. Furthermore, compared to infants without BPD, those with BPD have increased resting metabolic rates and energy expenditure. Growth deficits manifest as lower weight, length, and head circumference, as well as changes in body composition. These deficits precede the development of BPD and persist post-discharge. While similar rates of growth are observed in very low birth weight infants with and without BPD once receiving equal calories, catch up growth does not occur in the BPD group. Thus, early growth deficits remained uncompensated. After iron, zinc is the most metabolically active trace element in the human body. It has a critical role in growth, through its actions on growth hormone, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and bone metabolism. Prematurity is a risk factor for zinc deficiency, as 60% of zinc accretion occurs in the third trimester. Impaired intake and absorption or excess excretion can further increase this risk. Finally, periods of rapid growth, as seen in preterm infants, increase the need for zinc. Biochemically, zinc deficiency is defined by a serum zinc level less than 55mcg/dl. However, while zinc depletion is associated with deficiency, the opposite may not be true. For example, in starving patients, clinical symptoms of zinc deficiency occur during re-feeding, suggesting overall requirements are related to needs, regardless of overall zinc status. This may be the case in preterm infants, who may have a subclinical deficiency despite serum zinc level. Thus, zinc deficiency should be considered in infants with poor growth despite receiving adequate protein and calories. The objective of this study is to determine whether enteral zinc supplementation leads to improved growth in infants at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The investigator's hypothesis is that enteral zinc supplementation in very preterm infants at high risk for BPD will significantly improve growth compared to standard of care.
This study evaluates the addition of budesonide to poractant alfa to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Half of the participants will receive budesonide and poractant alfa in combination, and the other half will receive poractant alfa with saline.
Resting Energy Expenditure is the amount of energy, usually expressed in Kcal required for a 24 hour period by the body during resting conditions. It is closely related to, but not identical to, basal metabolic rate. According to the ESPGHAN committee guidelines on enteral nutrient supply for preterm infants, which were published in 2010, the daily protein intake of extremely low birth weight infants shall be 4.5 g/kg/day, and for those above 1000g, 4 g/kg/day. In order to meet these recommendations, the human milk for all premature infants is enriched with human milk fortifier, and supplemental liquid protein according to our NICU protocol. Little is known on the effect of this enrichment on the basal metabolic rate of premature infants. One way of determining the basal metabolic rate is by measuring the resting energy expenditure. In order to do that the investigators use an indirect calorimety by using the Deltatrac II metabolic monitor (Datex-Ohmeda). This instrument uses the principle of the open-circuit system that allows continuous measurements of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production using a constant flow generator.
Estimate the risks and benefits of active treatment versus expectant management of a symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (sPDA) in premature infants.
Premature infants present with significant oxygenation instability in the form of frequent spontaneous episodes of hypoxemia during the first weeks after birth. These infants are also exposed to hyperoxemia. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which exposure to frequent episodes of hypoxemia and hyperoxemia in extreme premature infants during the early stages of their evolving lung disease is associated with altered maturation and function of their respiratory control system. This study is part of the Prematurity-Related Ventilatory Control (Pre-Vent): Role in Respiratory Outcomes Clinical Research Centers (CRC) (U01) cooperative program of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).