Objective: To analyze the levels of regional tissue oxygenation in preterm infants in association with echocardiographically significant patent ductus arteriosis (PDA).Study Design: Preterm infants with gestational age less than 32 week were enrolled before the first dose of the pharmacological treatment for the PDA. Non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology was utilized to measure cerebral (rSO 2 -C), renal (rSO 2 -R) and mesenteric (rSO 2-M ) tissue oxygenation for approximately 60 min. Regional fractional oxygen extraction (FOE) was calculated using simultaneously measured arterial saturation (SaO 2 ). We analyzed regional tissue oxygenation and oxygen extraction, hemodynamic parameters, and demographic and clinical information in association with the size of the PDA (moderate vs large).Result: Among the 38 enrolled infants, the majority were diagnosed with a large (63.2%, n ¼ 24) and the rest with a moderate-sized PDA. Infants with large and moderate PDA were comparable in terms of gestational age, study age and weight, mode of delivery and hemodynamic parameters. A significantly higher proportion of infants with a moderate PDA were mechanically ventilated as compared with those with a large PDA. We found no significant differences in the rSO 2 -C and rSO 2 -R, irrespective of the type of respiratory support. However, in infants with a large PDA on continuous nasal positive airway pressure (NCPAP), the rSO 2 -M was lower and mesenteric FOE was higher than that in mechanically ventilated neonates with a large PDA, and in those with moderate PDA irrespective of the type of respiratory support. Conclusion:The PDA size did not affect cerebral and renal tissue oxygenation, but the mesenteric tissue oxygenation was decreased in infants with a large PDA on NCPAP.

A case is described of a neonate with a four-vessel umbilical cord containing two arteries and two veins. This was due to a rare persistence of the caudal portion of the right umbilical vein. The infant had multiple congenital anomalies including a complete atrioventricular canal, an interrupted inferior vena cava, a double superior vena cava, a left ventricular hypoplasia, dextrocardia, situs ambiguous, and malrotation of the small bowel. The birth of an infant with a four-vessel cord mandates comprehensive work-up for associated anomalies. The literature is reviewed.

The effect of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) treatment with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors (indomethacin [INDO] and ibuprofen [IBU]) on regional oxygenation requires further clarification. The authors hypothesized that both INDO and IBU reduce regional tissue oxygenation in preterm neonates with PDA but that the risk is not uniform for different tissues and other factors may contribute. Regional cerebral (rSO(2-C)), renal (rSO(2-R)), and mesenteric (rSO(2-M)) tissue oxygenation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy and peripheral arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry were recorded simultaneously before, during, and after treatment with the first dose of INDO or IBU in very preterm-born infants with PDA. Tissue-specific fractional oxygen extraction (FOE) was calculated using the rSO(2-C), rSO(2-R), rSO(2-M), and corresponding SpO(2) measurements. The findings showed a significant reduction in rSO(2-C), rSO(2-R), and rSO(2-M) and an increase in regional FOE after treatment with COX inhibitors in approximately one third of the 38 enrolled infants, which were associated with increased baseline regional tissue oxygen saturation (p < 0.01). However, the infants with posttreatment reduction of tissue oxygenation had significantly lower baseline rSO(2-C) (66.7 ± 8.1 vs 69.7 ± 8.1 %), rSO(2-R) (55.2 ± 10.8 vs 62.7 ± 11.8 %) and especially rSO(2-M) (37.8 ± 11.4 vs 46.7 ± 16.0 %) than the neonates with unchanged or increased tissue oxygenation. The two groups did not differ in terms of the risk for posttreatment reduction in regional tissue oxygenation with respect to either INDO or IBU treatment and their respective blood levels. Treatment of PDA with either INDO or IBU is associated with a 30-40 % risk for a reduction in regional tissue oxygenation, which is more pronounced in mesenteric tissue than in cerebral or renal tissue. Despite the inconsistency, reduction of regional tissue oxygenation in preterm infants with PDA is more likely associated with the administration of INDO than with the administration of IBU.

Calcified intraluminal meconium is a rare finding in newborn infants. It is often associated with communication between the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts. Intra-abdominal calcifications are unusual radiographic findings in the newborn and can easily be misinterpreted as meconium peritonitis. We report on a newborn infant with anorectal malformation, meconium balls, intraluminal calcifications, colpocephaly, and agenesis of the corpus callosum, a rare association.