The Incubator

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Neo News, Ben, Daphna, and Eli tackle the complex and emotionally charged landscape of legal liability in the NICU. Following a recent $32 million settlement involving necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and cow's milk-based formula, the team debates the future of informed consent for routine nutritional care. They explore how legal precedents may force neonato...

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a large national cohort study examining the association between antenatal corticosteroid exposure and survival in extremely preterm infants born between 21 and 24 weeks’ gestation. They discuss biologic plausibility, practice variation, and the challenges of interpreting retrospective data, while focusing on how these findings ma...

Send us Fan Mail Ben and Daphna review the ICAF randomized clinical trial evaluating extended caffeine therapy in preterm infants and its impact on intermittent hypoxia through 41 weeks postmenstrual age. They discuss the study design, oximetry outcomes across multiple saturation thresholds, inflammatory biomarkers including TNF-α, and clinically relevant safety signals such as oxygen restart rate...

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a salient study from JAMA Network Open examining outcomes of infants born at 21 weeks’ gestation at the University of Iowa. They walk through resuscitation practices, early physiologic challenges, survival trends, and short-term developmental outcomes, while placing the data in the broader context of shifting limits of viability....

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a major randomized clinical trial published in JAMA comparing expectant management with active pharmacologic treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants. They walk through the trial design, inclusion criteria, and outcomes, highlighting the unexpected survival difference favoring expectant management despite similar...

Send us Fan Mail As 2025 comes to a close, Ben and Daphna reflect on a year of growth, community, and evolution for The Incubator Podcast. In this end-of-year wrap-up, they preview major changes coming in 2026, including new standalone podcast feeds, expanded journal club content, CME opportunities, and exciting partnerships with organizations like the Vermont Oxford Network and PAS. They also sha...

Send us Fan Mail Transitioning from fellowship to your first attending job? You're probably not prepared for the business side of medicine—and that's exactly the problem Dr. Tung Giep addresses in this episode. Dr. Giep, a neonatologist with over 30 years of experience, shares hard-earned lessons from building and selling a private practice in Houston, navigating toxic work environments,...

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review five recent studies with practical implications for neonatal care. The FEED1 trial examines whether starting full milk feeds from day one is safe in 30-32 week preterm infants, finding no difference in length of stay compared to gradual feeding but fewer central line days. A brief communication from UAB explores high-volume feedi...

Send us Fan Mail Full exclusively enteral fluids from day 1 versus gradual feeding in preterm infants (FEED1): a open-label, parallel-group, multicentre, randomised, superiority trial. Ojha S, Mitchell EJ, Johnson MJ, Gale C, McGuire W, Oddie S, Hall SS, Meakin G, Anderson J, Partlet C, Su Y, Johnson S, Walker KF, Ogollah R, Mistry H, Naghdi S, Montgomery A, Dorling J; FEED1 collaborative. Lancet...

Send us Fan Mail Early body composition outcomes of infants born very preterm and receiving high volume, human milk feedings (≥170 ml/kg/day) before postnatal day 14. Gunawan E, Molleti M, Salas AA.J Perinatol. 2025 Oct 31. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02469-w. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41174086 No abstract available. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestio...

Send us Fan Mail Applied forces during neonatal intubation with direct and video laryngoscopy at different bed elevations: a randomized crossover manikin study. Cavallin F, Pasquali G, Maglio S, Villani PE, Menciassi A, Tognarelli S, Trevisanuto D.Eur J Pediatr. 2025 Nov 5;184(12):732. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06524-8.PMID: 41191125 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel...

Send us Fan Mail Treatment of Hypotension of Prematurity: a randomised trial. Alderliesten T, Arasteh E, van Alphen A, Groenendaal F, Dudink J, Benders MJ, van Bel F, Lemmers P. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2025 Dec 15;111(1):F60-F66. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-328253.PMID: 40413017 Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our...

Send us Fan Mail Maternal Psychological Distress Before and After Childbirth and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Toddlers. Matsumura K, Tanaka T, Kuroda M, Tsuchida A, Hatakeyama T, Kasamatsu H, Inadera H; Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct 1;8(10):e2540907. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.40907.PMID: 41171271 Free PMC article. Support the show As always, feel fre...

Send us Fan Mail Antenatal Prediction of Early Cord Clamping among Infants Born Extremely Preterm. Katheria A, Dorner RA, Grobman W, Rysavy MA, Koo J, Wyckoff MH, Sandoval G, DeMauro SB, Das A, Lee HC, Cotten M, Calvo L, Saha S; Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. J Pediatr. 2025 Oct 31:114878. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114878...

Send us Fan Mail Three third-year fellows present diverse research at Hot Topics. Juhi from University of Illinois in Chicago demonstrates lung ultrasound's potential to predict respiratory support duration in 30+ week infants, with first six-hour exams showing strongest correlation—suggesting possible replacement for admission chest x-rays. Tanima from Boston Children's applies large la...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jeffrey Gould and Dr. David Stevenson recount founding California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC) in the mid-1990s, transforming California's fragmented perinatal care system. Initial success required organizational development expertise—not just databases—to transform stakeholders into partners by identifying mutual value. They created California Association...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Elizabeth Foglia, University of Pennsylvania/Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and scientific PI for AAP's DRIVE (Delivery Room Intervention and Evaluation) Network, discusses building a 3,000-hospital US collaboration to understand real-world delivery room practices. Despite robust evidence supporting supraglottic airways for PPV in infants 34+ weeks, surveys show...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode of The Incubator Podcast, recorded live at Hot Topics in Neonatology in Washington, DC, we sit down with Dr. Daniele De Luca, Chief of Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care at AP-HP Paris-Saclay University and leader of one of Europe's largest NICUs. Dr. De Luca discusses the groundbreaking Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Commission on the Future of Neona...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Matthew Laughon, Professor at University of North Carolina and NICHD Neonatal Research Network investigator, presents the landmark PDA Management Trial comparing expectant management versus active medical treatment (indomethacin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen). The trial stopped early due to futility and safety concerns—mortality exceeded 10% in the treatment group versus 4% wit...

Send us Fan Mail Nicole and Maureen from Lactalogics present innovative donor human milk processing using gentle ultra-high temperature pasteurization—exposing milk to heat for only 10 seconds versus 30-40 minutes with traditional methods. Their tube-in-tube system (milk and steam traveling opposite directions) maintains safety by eliminating pathogens while better preserving inherent nutrients. P...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Michael Narvey, neonatologist and Vice President of Canadian Pediatric Society, challenges the validity of pre-discharge car seat testing. After leading Canadian work resulting in nationwide abandonment of the test in 2016, he argues the test doesn't represent real-world conditions (potholes, movement) and lacks evidence demonstrating it saves lives from apnea or desatura...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Elaine Boyle, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at University of Leicester, presents the SURFON trial evaluating early surfactant versus expectant management in 34-38 week infants with respiratory distress. This pragmatic trial enrolled infants requiring 30-45% oxygen or non-invasive support. Primary outcomes showed no difference in hospital length of stay or progression to sever...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Shalini Ojha, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at University of Nottingham, presents the Feed One trial examining full enteral feeding (60 mL/kg/day) from day one versus gradual advancement in 30-32 week infants. While the primary outcome of hospital length of stay showed no difference (median 32 days), full feeding significantly reduced parenteral nutrition use, IV cannulations...

Send us Fan Mail Three first-year fellows from University of Virginia—Jamie, Megan, and Brianne—share their Hot Topics conference experience. Despite being early in training, they engage deeply with cutting-edge research across diverse interests: POCUS and hemodynamics (Jamie), ENT non-surgical interventions (Brianne), and neurodevelopmental outcomes with Tiny Baby projects (Megan). They value lea...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Pankaj Agrawal, Division Chief of Neonatology at University of Miami, discusses rapid genomic advances—from six-month diagnostic timelines in 2000 to same-day sequencing today. While current practice targets phenotype-based testing for unexplained conditions or dysmorphic features, Agrawal advocates moving toward universal NICU sequencing to identify previously unrecognized co...