During an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the neonatal intensive care units at two hospitals, we assessed several sites for detection of MRSA colonization. Nasal cultures found 32 of 33 MRSA-colonized patients (97%). Rectal cultures detected 29% of 24 MRSA-colonized patients identified by paired rectal and nasal samples and axillary samples found 22% of 9 MRSA-...

From 1976 to 1980, 1034 children who had weighed less than 2001 g at birth were cared for at the North Western regional neonatal intensive care unit. Of these, 315 babies were neonatal referrals and 91 were born in the unit after antenatal transfer from their district hospital. Significantly fewer of the babies referred as neonates survived (n = 167, 53%) compared with 67 of the antenatal refer...

OBJECTIVE To investigate possible stressors to which newborns are exposed in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS The levels of continuous noise were checked by a decibel meter positioned near the ear of the newborn, brightness was observed by a light meter positioned in the incubator in front of the newborn's eyes, and temperature was checked through the incubator display. The evaluatio...

INTRODUCTION Data on the safety of waterbirth in the United States are lacking. METHODS We used data from the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, birth years 2004 to 2009. We compared outcomes of neonates born underwater waterbirth (n = 6534), neonates not born underwater nonwaterbirth (n = 10,290), and neonates whose mothers intended a waterbirth but did not have one inten...

OBJECTIVE To study the impact of initiating antibiotic policy on antibiotic consumption in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS This retrospective study was conducted between January, 2013 and December, 2014 in a 30 bed NICU. The antibiotic policy for neonatal sepsis was initiated on January 1st, 2014. The overall antibiotic consumption (Daily Defined Dose [DDD] per 100 patient-days...

Developmental care is the use of a range of medical and nursing interventions to decrease the stress of preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care units. This article reviews the theory underlying such interventions and research based data in different scientific fields, including neuroscience, developmental and family psychology, medicine, and nursing. The conclusion is that more research is ...

About the author: I joined the staff of the Ochsner Clinic in 1987 as a neonatologist, and I am currently the section head of neonatal medicine and medical director of the Ochsner Foundation Hospital’s level III regional NICU. As a member of team A, it was my responsibility to run the NICU in the event of any disaster. I was in the Ochsner NICU in the days that led up to, during, and for the 9 ...

Parent/infant attachment or bonding is a naturally occurring event that begins during the prenatal period. The feelings of attachment strengthen when fetal movement is felt and grow stronger with parent/infant interaction after birth. Parents who have a newborn requiring intensive care can have a disruption or delay in this attachment process. Neonatal nurses are in a unique position to assess ...

Child maltreatment is a risk for graduates of the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Infants represent the highest child maltreatment victimization group and parents, particularly mothers, are significantly represented as perpetrators. The challenges of a NICU environment along with the care burdens associated with NICU infants increase child maltreatment risks. Medical providers can reduce th...