The Incubator

Send us Fan Mail Early skin-to-skin contact and the risk of intraventricular haemorrhage and sepsis in preterm infants.  Johansson MW, Lilliesköld S, Jonas W, Thernström Blomqvist Y, Skiöld B, Linnér A.Acta Paediatr. 2024 May 27. doi: 10.1111/apa.17302. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38803030 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodca...

Send us Fan Mail In this special Father's Day episode, host Daphna Barbeau interviews Alex Zavala, known as the "NICU Dad". Alex shares his emotional journey of becoming a father to his daughter Emerson, born at just 27 weeks. Alex vividly recounts the day his wife's water broke, the frantic rush to the hospital, and the overwhelming fear and uncertainty as Emerson was delivere...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Incubator podcast, host Dr. Ben Courchia is joined by two distinguished guests: Dr. Neil Patel, a neonatologist from the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, UK, and Dr. Srirupa Hari Gopal, a third year neonatology fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. The discussion delves into the complexities of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Drs. Patel and Gop...

Send us Fan Mail In our latest Tech Tuesday episode, Daphna and I spoke with Nancy Addison from Locus Health about their remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform. We learned how Locus Health bridges the gap between hospital and home for medically complex pediatric patients, including NICU babies, substance-exposed newborns, and infants on oxygen. We discussed the potential benefits of RPM, such as...

Send us Fan Mail In this jam-packed episode of Journal Club, Ben & Daphna discuss several impactful new studies in neonatology. First up is an important clinical report from the AAP on infant feeding for people living with HIV. The hosts dive into the nuanced recommendations, which state that while avoiding breastfeeding is still the only way to completely eliminate HIV transmission risk, brea...

Send us Fan Mail Infant Feeding for Persons Living With and at Risk for HIV in the United States: Clinical Report.  Abuogi L, Noble L, Smith C; COMMITTEE ON PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT HIV; SECTION ON BREASTFEEDING.Pediatrics. 2024 May 20:e2024066843. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-066843. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38766700 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestio...

Send us Fan Mail Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnoses and Congenital Cytomegalovirus.  Pesch MH, Leung J, Lanzieri TM, Tinker SC, Rose CE, Danielson ML, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Grosse SD.Pediatrics. 2024 May 29:e2023064081. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-064081. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38808409 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gma...

Send us Fan Mail Video versus Direct Laryngoscopy for Urgent Intubation of Newborn Infants.  Geraghty LE, Dunne EA, Ní Chathasaigh CM, Vellinga A, Adams NC, O'Currain EM, McCarthy LK, O'Donnell CPF.N Engl J Med. 2024 May 30;390(20):1885-1894. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2402785. Epub 2024 May 5.PMID: 38709215 Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of the Incubator Podcast, hosts Ben and Daphna are joined by Dr. Alex Stevenson, a neonatologist from Zimbabwe who serves as the president of the African Neonatal Association (ANA) and principal investigator for the African Neonatal Network. Dr. Stevenson shares his journey into neonatology and highlights the stark differences in neonatal care and outcomes...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, hosts Ben and Daphna discuss several recent neonatology studies. First, they examine an algorithm developed by Shah et al. for the timely detection of hypothyroidism in preterm infants based on gestational age and TSH levels. Next, Daphna reviews a study by Halling et al. comparing initial endotracheal versus intravenous epinephrine administration during neonatal...

Send us Fan Mail A practical gestational age-based algorithm for timely detection of hypothyroidism in premature infants. Shah AN, Li W, Zheng D, Lalani S, Kaluarachchi DC, Findley TO. J Perinatol. 2024 May 11. doi: 10.1038/s41372-024-01985-5. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38734804 Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.c...

Send us Fan Mail Use of Initial Endotracheal Versus Intravenous Epinephrine During Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Delivery Room: Review of a National Database. Halling C, Conroy S, Raymond T, Foglia EE, Haggerty M, Brown LL, Wyckoff MH; American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Resuscitation Investigators. J Pediatr. 2024 Apr 16;271:114058. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.11405...

Send us Fan Mail Timing of Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Occurrence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.  Salas AA, Gunn E, Carlo WA, Bell EF, Das A, Josephson CD, Patel RM, Tan S, Kirpalani H; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e249643. do...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring episode of Tech Tuesday on The Incubator Podcast, hosts Ben and Daphna welcome special guest Nicholas Hall, founder and president of Graham's Foundation. Nicholas shares his personal journey of losing his premature son Graham after just 45 days, while his daughter Reese survived after a 119-day NICU stay. This life-changing experience sparked his desire to c...

Send us Fan Mail In this exciting episode of The Incubator podcast, hosts Ben and Daphna Barbeau dive into the promising world of artificial intelligence (AI) in neonatology. They are joined by special guests Dr. James Barry, medical director of the University of Colorado Hospital NICU, and Dr. Ryan McAdams, professor and chief of the Division of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery at the University o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Incubator Journal Club, Ben and Daphna discuss several recent neonatology papers. They review a NEJM trial on nutritional support strategies for moderate to late preterm infants, finding no effects on time to full feeds or body composition at 4 months. Next, they discuss a study on umbilical cord blood cultures for early onset sepsis, noting good concordance...

Send us Fan Mail EBNEO commentary: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)-To treat early or not with ibuprofen? Javed R, Gowda H.Acta Paediatr. 2024 Apr 30. doi: 10.1111/apa.17259. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38687140 No abstract available. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instag...

Send us Fan Mail Breast Milk Enema and Meconium Evacuation Among Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Zheng L, Gai L, Wu Y, Kong C, Sun F, Gao J, Yuan W, Liu M, Jiang H, Tuo N, Yang F.JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Apr 1;7(4):e247145. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.7145.PMID: 38648060 Free article. Clinical Trial. Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestio...

Send us Fan Mail Nutritional Support for Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Infants - A Randomized Trial. Alexander T, Asadi S, Meyer M, Harding JE, Jiang Y, Alsweiler JM, Muelbert M, Bloomfield FH; DIAMOND Trial Group. N Engl J Med. 2024 Apr 25;390(16):1493-1504. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2313942.PMID: 38657245 Clinical Trial.   Support the show As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Incubator podcast, hosts Ben Courchia and Daphna Yasova Barbeau interview Professor Ola Didrik Saugstad, a pioneer in neonatology research from Norway. Professor Saugstad shares his journey of discovering hypoxanthine as a biochemical marker of asphyxia in newborns and his groundbreaking work on resuscitating babies with room air instead of 100% oxygen. He e...

Send us Fan Mail In this packed episode of The Incubator, Daphna and I dive into a diverse range topics. We start by discussing a compelling article on bilirubin encephalopathy, exploring the relationship between unbound bilirubin levels and the severity of acute bilirubin encephalopathy in late preterm and term infants. Next, we review a study on the long-term neurodevelopmental and respiratory o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Tech Tuesday podcast, Dr. Yamile C. Jackson, CEO of Nurtured by Design, shares her journey from an engineer to an innovator in the neonatal care space, inspired by her son Zach's premature birth and the challenges she faced in the NICU. Focused on improving the NICU experience for both infants and their families, Yamile developed the Zaky Hug and Zaki Z...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Incubator Podcast, Daphna Barbeau and Ben Courchia are joined by Dr. Rachel Fleishman, a neonatologist, writer, and advocate for narrative medicine in neonatal care. Dr. Fleishman shares her journey in discovering the power of storytelling and its potential to humanize and transform the NICU experience for providers, patients, and families alike. She discuss...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Incubator podcast, we reflect on our recent visit to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. They discuss the welcoming atmosphere and the impressive cohesion among the hospital staff, from the division chief to the fellows and coordinators. We also review a recent JAMA paper on the timing of inguinal hernia repair in preterm infants, highligh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ben and Daphna review the latest research on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, optimistic vs. pessimistic prognostic communication, endotracheal tube sizing, intimate partner violence screening, and congenital CMV outcomes. They also welcome back James Roberts, the founder of the MOM Incubator, to discuss the progress and impact of his innovative mobile incubator syste...