Introduction: Hypoxaemic Respiratory Failure (HRF) is severe arterial hypoxaemia that is refractory to supplemental oxygen. Oxygen Saturation Index (OSI) can be an alternate method of diagnosing and assessing the severity of HRF as it uses Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) in place of Partial Pressure of Oxygen (PaO2) and may be utilised with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. Aim: To evaluate the correlation between OSI and Oxygenation Index (OI) in HRF in neonates. Materials and Methods: The prospective observational study was conducted in Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, from December 2016 to July 2018. Fifty neonates who were admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and conventionally ventilated in view of HRF were included. Arterial blood gases in the first 24 hours of life and corresponding oxygen saturations and ventilator settings were recorded. OI and OSI was calculated using the standard formula and their correlation was analysed. Results: The neonates were all on first day of life at admission to NICU and were invasively ventilated due to HRF. The mean birth weight was 1.89±0.84 kg. Of the 50 neonates, 22 (44%) were preterm babies (<34 weeks), 17 (34%) belonged to late preterm group (34 weeks to 36 weeks +6 days), 9 (18%) were term babies (>37 weeks), two neonates were extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks). In this study, OSI and OI significantly associated and correlated (p-value <0.01) with a correlation coefficient r=0.727. Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for OSI was 0.912 which indicates that OSI is an excellent test to assess the severity of HRF. Conclusion: That OSI can be used to diagnose and assess the severity of lung disease in neonates having HRF.

Background: The incidence of meconium stained amniotic fluid is 8-20% among all deliveries. The Aspiration of meconium into the airway results in various short term and long term morbidities and mortality. Timely management of these neonates with meconium in amniotic fluid may prevent Meconium aspiration syndrome.Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. All live Term neonates born between December 2016 and July 2018 with meconium in amniotic fluid were enrolled in the study. Details of the neonate was entered in the pre-designed Proforma. The objective of this study the outcome of MAS neonates and find factors associated with Meconium aspiration syndrome when compared with Meconium stained amniotic fluid neonates as a whole. These associated factors were presented as Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval. Chi-square test was done where applicable and a p-value <0.05 was taken as significant.Results: Meconium aspiration syndrome was seen in 79 out of the 188 neonates born with meconium stained amniotic fluid.Conclusions: The morbidity and mortality in a neonate with Meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) to develop meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) can be avoided with timely antenatal care. Meconium-stained babies should be aggressively managed to prevent complications like perinatal asphyxia and respiratory failure which may lead to the mortality. Those neonates with risk for adverse outcome should be managed with special focus on respiratory care with use of assisted ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, where available.

Background: Dengue is a mosquito borne disease of significant morbidity and mortality. Dengue viral infection has been shown to be associated with electrolyte abnormalities and renal dysfunction. It is necessary to have a thorough understanding about electrolyte disturbances in Dengue, so as to predict, diagnose and treat them accordingly. The aim and objective of this study is to study electrolyte disturbances in dengue fever and its correlation with severity of dengue fever.Methods: This study was performed in a tertiary care centre in Bangalore , India. The study was a prosspective observational study. 200 Patients diagnosed with Dengue were enrolled for the study. Patients demographic data, clinical history, electrolyte values were recorded and analysed.Results: In our study majority of patients belonged to 5-12 years age group ie 47%. Fever was found to be the most common presentation in 196 patients (98%) followed by myalgia in 142 patients (71%), headache in 102 patients (51%), skin rash in 43 patients (21.5%). The mean value of serum sodium observed was 133.69 mEq/L and of serum potassium was 3.58 mEq/L and there was positive and significant correlation between difference in serum sodium and potassium levels with severity of dengue fever.Conclusions: Dyselectrolytemia is more common in dengue fever. Serum electrolytes testing early is very important in dengue patients during management so that if abnormalities are found, they can be appropriately managed as some of these abnormalities may lead to increased severity as well as mortality.

Background: Hypocalcemia is a frequently observed clinical and laboratory abnormality in neonates with risk factors such as prematurity, infant of diabetic mothers and perinatal asphyxia. Hypocalcemia can be asymptomatic or can cause apnoea, seizures, jitteriness, stridor, cardiac abnormalities. Clinically as calcium levels are maintained within narrow ranges. It is therefore imperative to measure and correct any deficit at the earliest. Unfortunately, total serum calcium level correlates poorly with ionized calcium level. Measurement of ionized calcium is both time consuming and expensive and therefore the need for more rapid, inexpensive and non-invasive method for screening at risk-neonates. Serum calcium levels are known to affect the duration of the QoTc interval. Therefore establishing a good correlation between serum/ionized calcium levels and QoTc will validate ECG as a reliable marker of hypocalcemia. Objective was to find correlation between QoTc interval and serum calcium levels in sick neonates.Methods: Total 730 infants were for serum total calcium and ionized calcium levels. Off these 142 infants with hypocalcemia, 29 infants were excluded based on exclusion criteria. The remaining 113 neonates were subjected to three cycles of ECG measurement before correction of calcium and were taken as cases. QoTc intervals were measured and were correlated with corresponding serum total calcium and ionized calcium levels.Results: In this study, a moderate negative or downhill correlation was found between total serum calcium QoT (r = -0.694 and p = <0.001) and QoTc (r = -0.680 and p = <0.001). The ionized calcium levels were found to have strong negative or downhill correlation with QoT (r = -0.837 and p = <0.001), QoTc (r = -0.819 and p = <0.001). All these correlations were found to be statistically significant with p<0.05.Conclusions: QoTc interval can be used as a surrogate marker for blood total or ionized calcium levels.

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in about 50% of preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks of gestational age. Surfactant therapy and mechanical ventilation have been the standard of care in the management of RDS. Objective of this study to compare the time required to achieve successful extubation criteria in Volume guarantee mode of ventilation to that with Time cycled pressure-limited mode of ventilation and the duration of mechanical ventilation between them in preterm neonates ventilated for respiratory distress syndrome.Method: The study was done at Neonatal intensive care unit, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala over a period of 2 years. Total of 37 inborn preterm neonates between 26 weeks to 32weeks with RDS requiring mechanical ventilation were included in 2-year study period with 18 babies in 1st year study period ventilated with SIPPV mode and 19 babies in 2nd year study period on SIPPV–VG mode of ventilation. Analysis was done using SPSS v. 16 software.Results: In the present study the neonates receiving SIPPV-VG ventilation had stable and equivalent gas exchange at significantly lower MAP and PIP compared to neonates receiving SIPPV -TCPL. Also, neonates receiving SIPPV-VG had achieved significantly faster extubation criteria than SIPPV-TCPL and hence lesser duration of ventilation.Conclusion: Our study concludes that Volume Guarantee ventilation achieves near stable tidal volume delivery by auto-weaning peak inspiratory pressures thereby promoting early extubation and hence reducing volutrauma and barotrauma in contrast to TCPL mode.