• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.166-172
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate vitamin D status at birth in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs: <1,500 g) and to determine the association between vitamin D level and respiratory morbidity. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital between November 2013 and November 2017. We collected blood samples and data on respiratory morbidity from 230 VLBWIs on the first day of life. Patients who were transferred to other hospitals (n=19), died before 36 weeks of gestational age (n=18), or whose blood samples were not collected immediately after birth (n=5) were excluded. Finally, 188 patients were enrolled. VLBWIs with different vitamin D levels were compared with respect to demographic features, maternal diseases, respiratory morbidities, and other neonatal diseases. Results: The mean serum vitamin D level, as measured by 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), was $13.4{\pm}9.3ng/mL$. The incidence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was 79.8%, and 44.1% of preterm infants had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL). Logistic analysis shows that a low serum 25(OH)D level (<20 ng/mL) was a risk factor for respiratory distress syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 4.32; P=0.010) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (OR, 4.11; P=0.035). Conclusion: The results showed that 79.8% of preterm infants in this study had vitamin D deficiency at birth. Low vitamin D status was associated with respiratory morbidity, but the exact mechanism was unknown. Additional studies on the association between vitamin D level and neonatal morbidity are required.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.89-93
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• 2014

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiological features, clinical courses, and diagnoses of neonates who are transferred to neonatal intensive care unit of Yeungnam University Hospital due to tachypnea soon after birth. Methods: Based on medical records, we performed a retrospective study of neonatal intensive care unit admissions due to tachypnea from January 2010 to December 2013. Results: A total of 311 neonates were included in this study. The patient characteristics showed male predominance at 2.65:1. Among the 311 neonates with tachypnea, 127 (40.8%) neonates needed oxygen supply, and 54 (17.4%) neonates needed assisted mechanical ventilation. Transient tachypnea of the newborns (TTN) (158, 50.8%) showed the highest incidence, followed by pneumonia (63, 20.3%), extrapulmonary infection (37, 11.9%), respiratory distress syndrome (21, 6.8%), air leak (16, 5.1%), meconium aspiration syndrome (12, 3.9%), congenital heart disease (5, 1.6%), metabolic acidosis (3, 1%), primary pulmonary hypertension of newborns (2, 0.6%) and anemia (2, 0.6%). Conclusion: Although the neonates with tachypnea showed no other respiratory distress symptom, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of other pulmonary diseases as well as TTN and their extra-pulmonary causes. If tachypnea does not improve within a few hours, the clinician should consider further evaluation and management as soon as possible.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.161-165
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• 2022

We report a case of successful treatment of congenital syphilis in an extremely preterm baby. A 1,395 g female infant was born by emergency Caesarean section due to preterm labor and breech presentation at gestational age at 29 weeks and 3 days with an Apgar score of 2 and 4 at 1 minute and 5 minutes, respectively. The mother of the newborn, an illegal immigrant who did not receive any antenatal care, was diagnosed as active syphilis infection by reactive rapid plasma regain (RPR) (titer 1:128) just before the delivery. Upon birth, the newborn presented with various clinical manifestations, including severe respiratory distress syndrome, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, desquamation and scaling of the whole body, and osteolytic changes of long bone ends. Results of laboratory tests showed signs of early congenital syphilis, including positive syphilis reagin test (12.7 R.U.), reactive with RPR titer of 1:64, and positive for immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test. However, after completion of penicillin G treatment for two weeks, laboratory results dramatically improved, showing a negative syphilis reagin test (0.5 R.U.) and non-reactive in RPR. In conclusion, the incidence of congenital syphilis is prone to be resurgent in South Korea, neonatologists should be fully aware of the clinical features of congenital syphilis because early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential in order to reduce the social and economic burden due to congenital syphilis.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to develop a scenario and evaluate student performance in simulation learning of care for children with respiratory distress syndrome in neonatal intensive care units. Methods: To test the application effect, a one group pre-test design was applied. The scenario based on actual patients and textbook material was developed through several meetings of experts. The scenario was used with 17 groups of 55 senior nursing students who participated voluntarily. Results: Contents were organized focusing on the nursing process for simulation learning. In the application of knowledge and skills, nursing students had high scores in the contents of observation of oxygen saturation, and care to relieve dyspnea. Participants' ability, especially in suction and oxygen supply in the evaluation of objective structured clinical examination was not adequate. There was a significant positive correlation between problem-solving ability and satisfaction in learning. Conclusion: The respiratory distress syndrome simulation scenario developed in this study was an effective tool to give students experience in problem solving and critical thinking ability under conditions similar to reality. The development of various scenarios for child nursing care is needed.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 2003

Spontaneous gastric perforation in the newborn is a rare disease that requires early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment. Between 1988 and 2001 at the Department of Pediatric Surgery. Kyungpool National University Hospital, 9 cases of spontaneous gastric perforation were treated. Seven were males and two females. The mean gestational age and birth weight were 36.7 weeks and 2,455 g respectively. All patients presented with severe abdominal distention and pneumoperitoneum on cross table lateral film of the abdomen. Perforations were located on the anterior wall along the greater curvature of the stomach in six and on the posterior wall along the greater curvature in two. One case showed two sites of perforation on the anterior and posterior wall along the greater curvature. Six patients were managed with debridement and primary closure and the others with debridement and partial gastrectomy. Peritoneal drainage was not performed. There were four deaths; two from sepsis due to leakage from the anastomotic site, one as a result of acute renal failure, and the other by associated respiratory distress syndrome. Spontaneous gastric perforation in the newborn is usually located along the greater curvature. Elevated intragastric pressure is a possible cause of the perforation. Poor prognosis is related to associated diseases and prematurity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 1999

Nitric oxide(NO) is a potent and selective pulmonary artery vasodilator. Erythropoietin(EPO) is produced in the kidney in response to reduced oxygen availability. In this study, blood samples were collected for determination of NO and EPO concentrations in 18 normal newborns and 16 newborns with respiratory distress syndrome(RDS). Serum was measured by Ding's method for NO concentration and by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay for EPO concentration. Nitric ion concentration in serum was 14.9$\pm$3.2 $\mu$M in normal control group and 12.8$\pm$3.3 $\mu$M in RDS group. EPO concentration in serum was 16.2$\pm$3.4 mU/ml in normal control group and 21.2$\pm$5.4 mU/ml in RDS group. These results show the decrease of NO and increase of EPO in RDS newborn patients in comparison with normal newborns. Such imbalances may contribute to the development of several clinical symptoms.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.158-162
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• 2011

Preterm infants with oligohydramnios after preterm premature rupture of membranes can present with severe respiratory distress immediately after birth, and the most common cause is pulmonary hypoplasia. Unlike infants with pulmonary hypoplasia, some cases have shown dramatic improvement with aggressive ventilatory support during the initial 1-2 days of distress: those patients have been defined as having dry lung syndrome. It is assumed that oligohydramnios leads to functional pulmonary hypoplasia by compression of the fetal lungs: some of the improvement in dry lung syndrome may thus have resulted from inflation of compressed lung tissue and increase of lung compliance. We report two incidences of dry lung syndrome that were treated successfully with high inflation pressure and inhaled nitric oxide (NO): these are the first dry lung syndrome cases to be reported in Korean infants.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.409-411
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• 2011

In Korea, pulmonary surfactant (PS) replacement therapy in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) was started in 1991 since when Surfacten$^{(R)}$ was imported from Japan. At the present time, Surfacten$^{(R)}$, Newfactan$^{(R)}$, Curosurf$^{(R)}$, and Infasurf$^{(R)}$ are available in Korea. The governmental health insurance covers the expense for multiple dose treatment since 2002 and the early prophylactic treatment (BW: <1,250 g or GP: <30 wks) since 2011. We undertook a multi-institutional collective study to evaluate the outcomes of PS over past 20 years in Korea (Period-I; 1990/91, P-II; 1996, P-III; 2002, and P-IV; 2007, P-V; 2010). There were 60 RDS neonates with PS treatment in P-I (16 hospitals), 1,179 in P-II (64), 1,595 in P-III (62), 1,921 in P-IV (57), and 3,160 in P-V (72). Decreased mortality rate, defined as the percentage of neonates who died within 28 days of birth, was seen between periods, P-V vs P-I, II, III, and IV (mortality rate: 10.1% vs. 40.0%, 30.0%, 18.7%, and 14.3%). We conclude that PS therapy contributed to improve remarkable outcome in RDS neonates over the last 20 years in Korea. However, more efforts should be made to optimize PS therapy for better outcome. Multiple PS doses for relapse and poor response, early prophylactic use, and better supportive care for pre-term infants are mandatory.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.208-219
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' experiences of debriefing after simulation-based learning and to obtain fundamental data to support the development of effective teaching strategies. Methods: Sixty-seven nursing students participated in this study from April to May, 2017. This was a descriptive study analyzing the content of students' descriptions of structured questions in 3 stages (description, analysis, and application) based on recorded videos. Results: The description stage was classified into 3 categories for problem recognition, 4 categories for the nursing plan, and 6 categories for the nursing intervention. The analysis stage was classified into 6 categories for satisfactory practice, 3 categories for experience and 4 categories for what they learned through practice. The application stage was classified into 5 categories, that were to be mastered, and 6 categories, that were important to recognize. Conclusion: This study succeeded in charaterizing learners' experiences of debriefing. During the debriefing, students watched recorded videos, and we found that self-evaluation through structured questionnaires could be a very effective way to strengthen students' core competencies. Our content analysis of the debriefing is expected to contribute to the development of effective strategies in simulation-based education for students and nurses.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.598-602
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• 2010

Transient hyperammonemia in a newborn is an overwhelming disease manifested by hyperammonemic coma. The majority of affected newborns are premature and have mild respiratory syndrome. The diagnosis may be difficult to determine. This metabolic disorder is primarily characterized by severe hyperammonemia in the postnatal period, coma, absence of abnormal organic aciduria and normal activity of the enzymes of the urea cycle. Hyperammonemic coma may develop within 2-3 days of life, although its etiology is unknown. Laboratory studies reveal marked hyperammonemia (>$4,000{\mu}mol/L$). The degree of neurologic impairment and developmental delay in this disorder depends on the duration of hyperammonemic coma. Moreover, the infant may succumb to the disease if treatment is not started immediately and continued vigorously. Hyperammonemic coma as a medical emergency requires dialysis therapy. Here, we report a case of severe transient hyperammonemia in a preterm infant (35 week of gestation) presented with respiratory distress, seizure, and deep coma within 48 hours and required ventilatory assistance and marked elevated plasma ammonia levels. He survived with aggressive therapy including peritoneal dialysis, and was followed 2 years later without sequelae.