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Blood Transfusions In Preterm Infants: Changes On Perfusion Index And Intermittent Hypoxemia, Katrina T. Ibonia, Henrietta S. Bada, Philip M. Westgate, Enrique Gomez Pomar, Prasad Bhandary, Abhijit R. Patwardhan, Elie G. Abu Jawdeh

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion decreases intermittent hypoxemia (IH) events beyond the first week of life. This benefit may be related to improved perfusion to the respiratory control network. Perfusion index (PI) is a perfusion measure provided by the pulse oximeter. We hypothesized that the benefit in IH after RBC transfusion is associated with an increase in PI. In addition, we assessed the value of PI and clinical measures in predicting the effect of RBC transfusion on IH.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

We prospectively enrolled infants less than 30 weeks' gestation age. PI and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) …

Progression Of Gastric Acid Production In Preterm Neonates: Utilization Of In-Vitro Method, Murali R. Palla, Shashidhar Harohalli, Tim N. Crawford, Nirmala Desai

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Limited studies are done regarding ability to produce gastric acid in preterm infants and most studies used in vivo method of assessing gastric pH.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using an in vitro method of measuring gastric pH in babies ≤ 28 weeks gestational age (GA) and determine whether changes in gastric pH differ with gestational age, mode of delivery, and use of antenatal steroids.

Design/Methods: Prospective study that enrolled extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies. Gastric aspirate collected before feeding. In vitro testing of gastric aspirates for pH were done on days of life 1, 3, 5, …