Harmony in the NICU

Antimicrobial stewardship in the NICU.

There are unique challenges to antimicrobial stewardship in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Diagnosis of infection is difficult as neonates can have nonspecific signs and symptoms. Between and within NICUs, significant variation exists in the treatment duration of suspected sepsis and pneumonia. Development of multidisciplinary teams and meaningful metrics are essential for sustainable a...

Noise pollution in the NICU

Neurodevelopmental care in the NICU.

Neurodevelopmental care, which is any NICU intervention undertaken to improve neurodevelopmental outcome, includes NICU design, nursing routines, nursing care plans, management of pain, feeding methods and, most importantly, encouraging parental involvement with their NICU infant. Recognition that sensory stimulation can overwhelm preterm infants and increase physiologic signs of stress led to ...

Pharmacological errors in NICU

Background Medical errors are particularly frequent in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) [1], increasing morbidity and mortality of newborns [2]. This category of patients requires the application of high technology and needs individualized medical prescription mainly based on body weight and gestational age[3]. The most frequent event categories are wrong medication, dose, schedule, or inf...

Safety of Rotavirus Vaccine in the NICU

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Rotavirus vaccination is discouraged during hospitalization given concerns regarding live attenuated virus transmission, although recommended upon discharge. Infants should have vaccination initiated by 104 days of age or they become ageineligible. Our institution believed the known risk of severe disease in unvaccinated infants outweighed the theoretical risk of trans...