0000000000141390
AUTHOR
Laura Mauceri
From Neonatal Intensive Care to Neurocritical Care: Is It Still a Mirage? The Sicilian Multicenter Project
Background. Neonatal brain injury (NBI) can lead to a significant neurological disability or even death. After decades of intense efforts to improve neonatal intensive care and survival of critically ill newborns, the focus today is an improved long-term neurological outcome through brain-focused care. The goal of neuroprotection in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is the prevention of new or worsening NBI in premature and term newborns. As a result, the neonatal neurocritical care unit (NNCU) has been emerging as a model of care to decrease NBI and improve the long-term neurodevelopment in critically ill neonates. Purpose. Neurocritical care (NCC) Sicilian project includes three aca…
Levetiracetam in Neonatal Seizures as First-line Treatment: A Prospective Study
Aim of the Study: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) as first-line treatment of neonatal seizures. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in patients of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Santo Bambino Hospital, University of Catania, Italy, from January to August 2016. A total of 16 neonates with convulsions not associated with major syndromes, which required anticonvulsant therapy, were included and underwent IV LEV at standard doses. Results: All patients responded to treatment, with a variety range of seizure resolution period (from 24 h to 15 days; mean hours: 96 ± 110.95). No patient required a second anticonvulsant therapy. Regar…
Ketogenic diet for infants with epilepsy: A literature review.
Abstract The ketogenic diet (KD) is an established, nonpharmacological treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Actually, KD and its variants have been shown to be elective and resolute for patients with glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) deficiency. The aim of this review was to study the use of KD and its variants in infancy, including the neonatal age, and demonstrate the safety and efficacy of this treatment in patients with the age of 0–23 months affected by DRE already subjected to pharmacological approach attempts. A literature search was conducted using PubMed as the medical database source. We used the age limit of 0–23 months, and we considered only articles published between …
Short-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Term Neonates Treated with Phenobarbital versus Levetiracetam: A Single-Center Experience
Background. Phenobarbital (PB) has been traditionally used as the first-line treatment for neonatal seizures. More recently, levetiracetam (LEV) has been increasingly used as a promising newer antiepileptic medication for treatment of seizures in neonates. Objectives. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of PB vs. LEV on short-term neurodevelopmental outcome in infants treated for neonatal seizures. Method. This randomized, one-blind prospective study was conducted on term neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of S. Bambino Hospital, University Hospital “Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele,” Catania, Italy, from February 2016 to February 2018. Thirty term neonates with s…
N-BiPAP vs n-CPAP in term neonate with respiratory distress syndrome
Abstract Background Non-invasive respiratory ventilation has greatly improved the evolution of respiratory distress in neonates, especially for preterm infants, but few studies have investigated the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in term infants. It is useful for neonatologists and nurses to identify the optimal ventilation strategy in terms of effectiveness for this group of newborns. The aim of our study was to investigate what type of respiratory support between nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) or nasal Biphasic Positive Airway Pressure (nBiPAP) is more effective in term neonates with RDS. Methods Our study was a retrospective observational study of 78 full term n…