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Preterm babies have a heightened risk of infection as their immune system is not mature. The Neonatal Health Team is exploring new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat infections in WA's smallest patients .
Skin care for very and extremely preterm infant is an important and previously underappreciated topic. Coconut oil skin care for preterm infants is a promising option, but several important questions remain including the theoretical potential for allergic sensitization.
Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of childhood mortality. Limited diagnostic tools and mechanistic insights have hampered our abilities to develop prophylactic or therapeutic interventions. Biomarkers in human neonatal sepsis have been repeatedly identified as associated with dysregulation of angiopoietin signaling and altered arachidonic acid metabolism.
The highest incidence of sepsis across all age groups occurs in neonates leading to substantial mortality and morbidity. Cardiovascular dysfunction frequently complicates neonatal sepsis including biventricular systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction, vasoregulatory failure, and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The structure and function of infant skin is not fully developed until 34 weeks of gestation, and this immaturity is associated with risk of late-onset sepsis (LOS). Topical coconut oil improves preterm-infant skin integrity and may reduce LOS. However, data on early-life skin-microbiome succession and potential effects of emollient skin care in preterm infants are scarce.
Neonatal sepsis is a serious public health problem; however, there is substantial heterogeneity in the outcomes measured and reported in research evaluating the effectiveness of the treatments. Therefore, we aim to develop a Core Outcome Set (COS) for studies evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for neonatal sepsis.
Heat-inactivated probiotics (HPs) may provide an effective alternative to live probiotics by avoiding their risks (eg, probiotic sepsis) while retaining the benefits. We assessed the safety and efficacy of a HP in very preterm (VP: gestation <32 weeks) infants.
Viral infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in neonates. The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in viral epidemiology in Western Australia. The impact on patients in neonatal intensive care is uncertain.
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality. There is heterogeneity in the outcomes measured and reported in studies of neonatal sepsis. To address this challenge, a core outcome set (COS) for research on neonatal sepsis was needed.
Appropriate use of antibiotics is life-saving in neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS), but overuse of antibiotics is associated with antimicrobial resistance and long-term adverse outcomes.