The Incubator

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of NeoNews , the team reflects on a quiet Mother’s Day before diving into a full slate of stories touching the emotional and political corners of neonatal care. First up: parenting in the digital age. The crew unpacks a gripping New York Times essay by Amanda Hess, whose prenatal diagnosis of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome led her down the rabbit hole of medica...

Send us Fan Mail In this special anniversary edition of the Journal Club, Ben and Daphna celebrate four years of The Incubator Podcast while diving into a compelling lineup of neonatal studies. The episode kicks off with a review of a phase 2 multicenter trial on the safety of furosemide in preterm infants at risk for BPD. Despite widespread Lasix use in NICUs, data on dosing and safety have been...

Send us Fan Mail Furosemide Safety in Preterm Infants at Risk for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Greenberg RG, Lang J, Smith PB, Shekhawat P, Courtney SE, Hudak ML, Moya F, Iyengar A, Eldemerdash A, Bloom B, Go M, Hanna M, Rhein L, Aliaga S, Lewis T, Febre A, Kiefer AS, Bhatt-Mehta V, Khoury JA, Selewski D, Anand R, Martz K, Payne EH, Zimmerman KO, Benjamin DK Jr, Laughon...

Send us Fan Mail Seven-day versus 14-day antibiotic course for culture-proven neonatal sepsis: a multicentre randomised non-inferiority trial in a low and middle-income country. Dutta S, Nangia S, Jajoo M, Sundaram M, Kumar M, Shivanna N, Gathwala G, Nesargi S, Jain S, Kumar P, Saili A, Karthik A, Tripathi S, Bandiya P, Dalal P, Ray P, Randhawa VS, Saigal K, Radhakrishnan D, Venkatesh V, Jagannath...

Send us Fan Mail Intermittent sigh breaths during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in preterm infants: a randomised crossover study. Hough JL, Jardine L, Hough MJ, Steele M, Greisen G, Heiring C.Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2025 Apr 17;110(3):297-302. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-327445.PMID: 39406472 Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments...

Send us Fan Mail Effect of kangaroo mother care in low birth weight infants on human milk intake: a randomized controlled trial. Sinha B, Mazumder S, Thakur A, Devi S, More D, Ashorn P, Sommerfelt H, Kurpad A, Bhandari N.Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 May;121(5):1109-1116. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.02.006. Epub 2025 Feb 11.PMID: 39947481 Free article. Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel free t...

Send us Fan Mail Interprofessional perspectives on non-invasive respiratory support practices in extremely preterm infants: a Canadian survey. Martinez TA, Remmer E, Mardakis S, Leone M, Boyer J, Lv S, Beltempo M, Sant'Anna G, Shalish W.J Perinatol. 2025 Apr 12. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02291-4. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40221609 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, c...

Send us Fan Mail Prenatal Cannabis Use and Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Lo JO, Ayers CK, Yeddala S, Shaw B, Robalino S, Ward R, Kansagara D.JAMA Pediatr. 2025 May 5:e250689. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.0689. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40323610 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com...

Send us Fan Mail Near-infrared spectroscopy during respiratory support at birth: a systematic review. Monnelly V, Nakwa F, Josephsen JB, Schmölzer GM, Solevåg AL, Rabi Y, Wyckoff MH, Weiner GM, Liley HG; International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Neonatal Life Support Task Force. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2025 Apr 29:fetalneonatal-2025-328577. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2025-328577. O...

Send us Fan Mail Neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 3 years of preterm infants born at 22-31 weeks' gestation. Kono Y, Kusuda S, Nishida T, Mori R, Toyoshima K, Sasaki H, Yonemoto N, Uchiyama A, Fujimura M; INTACT Study Group. J Perinatol. 2025 Mar 26. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02268-3. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40140596 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, o...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Tech Tuesday, we sit down with Dr. Theodor Uzamere, a graduating neonatology fellow from Texas Children’s Hospital, to explore an inspiring project that brings creativity and compassion to the NICU bedside. Theodor introduces us to the Consult Cards — a thoughtful, low-tech innovation designed to support families navigating the overwhelming world of neonatal intensive...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring and deeply informative episode of The Incubator Podcast , Dr. Audrey Miller, neonatologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and newly appointed Medical Director of their BPD Service, joins the hosts to unpack the intricacies of chronic lung disease care and her rapid career ascent. Miller outlines the five key principles guiding her team’s nationally recognized...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of NeoNews, the team takes a deep dive into global fertility trends and the complex forces shaping the future of parenthood. The conversation starts with a discussion on worldwide declines in fertility rates, highlighting the economic pressures and societal shifts that are making the decision to have children more difficult across the globe. The hosts reflec...

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review several impactful studies shaping neonatal care. They begin with a secondary analysis of the ETTNO trial, which examined whether liberal transfusion thresholds reduce intermittent hypoxemia or improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely low birth weight infants. Despite prior concerns, the study found no benefit to liberal t...

Send us Fan Mail Effects of liberal versus restrictive transfusion strategies on intermittent hypoxaemia in extremely low birthweight infants: secondary analyses of the ETTNO randomised controlled trial. Franz AR, Engel C, Bassler D, Rüdiger M, Thome UH, Maier RF, Krägeloh-Mann I, Essers J, Bührer C, Bittrich HJ, Roll C, Höhn T, Ehrhardt H, Boettger R, Körner HT, Stein A, Neuberger P, Henriksen TB...

Send us Fan Mail Mother's Own Milk Provision During the First 12 Weeks of Life by Gestational Age. Patel AL, Wilson J, Holmes M, Johnson TJ.JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 3;8(3):e250024. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0024.PMID: 40042846 Free PMC article. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact...

Send us Fan Mail Lung Recruitment Before Surfactant Administration in Extremely Preterm Neonates: 2-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Gallini F, De Rose DU, Iuliano R, Romeo DM, Tana M, Paladini A, Fusco FP, Nobile S, Cota F, Tirone C, Aurilia C, Lio A, Esposito A, Costa S, D'Andrea V, Ventura ML, Carnielli V, Dani C, Mosca F, Fumagalli M, Scarpelli G, Giordano L, Fasolato V, Pet...

Send us Fan Mail Cord Blood Treatment for Children With Cerebral Palsy: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis. Finch-Edmondson M, Paton MCB, Webb A, Reza Ashrafi M, Blatch-Williams RK, Cox CS Jr, Crompton K, Griffin AR, Kim M, Kosmach S, Kurtzberg J, Nouri M, Ri Suh M, Sun J, Zarrabi M, Novak I.Pediatrics. 2025 Apr 11:e2024068999. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-068999. Online ahead of print. PMID: 402...

Send us Fan Mail Funisitis increases the risk of death or cerebral palsy in extremely preterm infants. Jain VG, Parikh NA, Rysavy MA, Shukla VV, Saha S, Hintz S, Jobe A, Carlo WA, Ambalavanan N; Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Neonatal Research Network. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2025  Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com....

Send us Fan Mail Azithromycin therapy for prevention of chronic lung disease of prematurity (AZTEC): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lowe J, Gillespie D, Aboklaish A, Lau TMM, Consoli C, Babu M, Goddard M, Hood K, Klein N, Thomas-Jones E, Turner M, Hubbard M, Marchesi J, Berrington J, Kotecha S.Lancet Respir Med. 2024 Aug;12(8):608-618. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(24...

Send us Fan Mail Advancing neonatal autopsy by strengthening physician belief and fostering effective family communication. Kratimenos P, Simonti G, Kinney HC.Pediatr Res. 2025 Mar 31. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-04031-y. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40164873 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Incubator, Ben and Daphna speak with Dr. Scott Duncan, Division Chief at the University of Louisville, about the critical importance of medical billing and coding in neonatology. The discussion explores how accurate documentation and thoughtful use of codes can impact everything from individual reimbursement to hospital funding and staffing. Dr. Duncan expla...

Send us Fan Mail In this Tech Tuesday episode, Ben and Daphna welcome Xina Quan, co-founder and CEO of PyrAmes, to introduce a groundbreaking neonatal device: the Boppli. Developed from Stanford research, the Boppli is a non-invasive, wearable blood pressure monitor that provides continuous, real-time readings—without the need for cuffs or arterial catheters. FDA-cleared for babies under five kilo...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s Journal Club, Ben and Daphna dissect six critical studies reshaping our understanding of neonatal care. Kicking off with the Canadian Neonatal Network’s multicenter cohort on inhaled nitric oxide (iNO), they explore how early pulmonary hypertension responsiveness to iNO may predict survival in preterm infants. They then examine a poignant study on maternal decision...

Send us Fan Mail Response to Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Mortality Among Very Preterm Neonates With Pulmonary Hypertension. Baczynski M, Weisz D, Thomas L, Fevrier S, Castaldo M, Soraisham A, Hyderi A, Agarushi R, Bhattacharya S, Lalitha R, Sidhu A, Abdul Wahab MG, Altit G, Hébert A, Louis D, Elsayed Y, Mitra S, Deshpande P, Kharrat A, Zhu F, Ting J, Yoon E, Shah PS, Jain A; Canadian Neonatal Network...