Objective. To identify beliefs and knowledge about tummy time (TT) practice and its repercussions on motor development. Methods. Longitudinal study carried out with parents/caregivers of infants older than 30 days of life. Two assessments were performed. A structured interview was conducted, while the babies were between one and six months old to identify beliefs, knowledge about TT, and the motor milestone achievement expected for the age. At six to 12 months, the risk of motor development delay was tracked using the survey of well-being of young infant questionnaire (SWYC). Results. 41 families responded to the SWYC questionnaire (21 were allocated to the TT group). 31.70% reported that it was not important to put the infants in a prone position while awake, and 70.70% said they are afraid their babies would become breathless when positioned in a prone position. 85.70% of infants from the TT group showed typical development, while 55% of the control group showed atypical development for their age ( ). Only three infants from the control group were at risk of delayed motor development ( ). Conclusions. Most of the families feel insecure about proning their babies and fear breathlessness when positioned. Acquisition of motor milestones prevailed in the TT group, suggesting an association between TT practice and motor milestone achievement.

Purpose: The primary aim will be to assess the effects of prone positioning (tummy time) on cervical extension (angular kinematics and time) in preterm infants. The secondary aim will be to assess the effects of tummy time on gross motor function. Methods: This randomized, controlled clinical trial will include 40 preterm infants weighing less than 2500 g, randomly allocated into control or experimental group (n = 20) and followed up from birth to six months of corrected age by the team of the neonatal follow-up clinic. Caregivers will be routinely guided on bonding, developmental milestones, and how to perform the tummy time for 30 min throughout the day (experimental group). An illustrative booklet will be provided as support material. The hypothesis will be tested using inferential analysis, considering an alpha of 5%. Discussion: We expect tummy time to strengthen cervical muscles needed to overcome gravity, master motor skills, and stimulate the integration between family activity and environmental experiences, considerable challenges to which preterm infants are exposed. Trial registration: Registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (identifier RBR-2nwkr47) on 17 February 2022.

Considering that the average age for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is 4–5 years, testing screening methods for ASD risk in early infancy is a public health priority. This study aims to identify the risks for development of ASD in children born prematurely and hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and explore the association with pre-, peri- and postnatal factors. Methods: The children’s families were contacted by telephone when their child was between 18 and 24 months of age, to apply the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT). The sample consisted of 40 children (57.5% boys). M-CHAT screening revealed that 50% of the sample showed early signs of ASD. Although the frequency of delayed development was higher in boys, this difference was not statistically significant between the sexes (p = 0.11). Assessment of the association between perinatal conditions and early signs of autism in children hospitalized in an NICU exhibited no correlation between the factors analyzed (birth weight and type of delivery). The findings indicate a high risk of ASD in premature children, demonstrating no associations with gestational and neonatal variables or the hospitalization conditions of the NICUs investigated.

Background and Aims: Respiratory physical therapy is recommended to prevent complications of accumulated secretion in mechanical ventilated infants, but no consensus about the best technique is available.Aims: To evaluate the effects of manual hyperinflation maneuver (MHM) and thoracoabdominal rebalancing method (TRM) in preterm newborns (PTNB) for bronchial hygiene.Methods: Single‐blind randomized crossover trial with intention‐to‐treat analysis was carried out with 24 PTNB (<37 weeks of gestation) under invasive ventilatory support via orotracheal cannula received both interventions (MHM and TRM) with an interval of 4 h, followed by tracheal suctioning. The primary outcome was the amount of pulmonary secretion, while secondary outcomes were the response of the autonomous (heart rate, respiratory rate [RR], tidal volume [TV], and oxygen saturation [SpO₂]), motor (classification of general movements), and regulatory (pain and respiratory discomfort) systems pre and postintervention.Results: Although the amount of secretion was not different after the MHM and TRM interventions (0.10 and 0.09 g, respectively, p = 0.47), a difference was observed in the increase of SpO₂ (p ≤ 0.001), and in the decrease of RR (p ≤ 0.001) for TRM. The poor repertoire pattern was predominant (23 PTNB), and it did not alter after interventions. Pain was not observed during interventions, the respiratory discomfort decreased after both interventions (p = 0.50).Conclusion: The amount of secretion removed was similar after MHM and TRM and both maneuvers did not negatively alter the response of the autonomous, motor, and regulatory systems.

RESUMO O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a participação toracoabdominal durante a respiração e sua relação com os fatores de risco clínicos em recém-nascidos prematuros (RNPT). Trata-se de um estudo multicêntrico, transversal, realizado em duas unidades de cuidado intermediário neonatal com RNPT entre 26-35 semanas, estáveis hemodinamicamente, que fizeram uso de oxigênio ou suporte ventilatório durante a fase da internação. O movimento lateral do tronco foi filmado por 2 minutos e os vídeos foram avaliados no software MATLAB® para interpretação quantitativa da participação toracoabdominal, por um pesquisador cego sobre os dados da amostra. Os dados foram expressos graficamente em cm2 representando os valores máximos, mínimos e médios da participação de tórax e abdômen. O coeficiente de Pearson foi usado para avaliar a correlação entre as variáveis neonatais com a mobilidade. Foram avaliados 2.080 frames de 26 RNPT com idade gestacional média de 31 semanas ±2,34. Quanto maior a idade e o peso, maior a participação do tórax na respiração (r=0,55; p=0,001); e quanto maior o tempo de internação, menor é a sua participação (r=-0,40; p=0,04). A participação do abdômen aumenta de acordo com o aumento do número de dias em uso de oxigênio (r=0,33; p=0,001) e diminui com o aumento da idade e do peso (r=-0,41; p=0,001). A participação toracoabdominal tem relação direta com a idade gestacional e o peso. Como fatores externos, o uso prolongado de oxigênio e o tempo de internação interferem negativamente no padrão respiratório, uma vez que o aumento da participação abdominal durante a biomecânica respiratória pode representar um gasto energético.

Congenital heart disease is considered the most common malformation found in neonatology. The aim of this study was to characterize the congenital heart diseases of premature newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a high-risk maternity unit. This was an observational retrospective, descriptive character study carried out in a maternity school, reference in high-risk gestation in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The study was carried out with premature infants admitted to NICU, who presented some cardiological findings when performing the echocardiogram examination. Data collection was performed through the records of infants hospitalized from December 2016 to December 2017. A total of 371 records were evaluated. Fifty eight infants were diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and 38 of them had Persistence of the ductus arteriosus. The main diagnosed cardiopathies caused low pulmonary flow. About half of the pregnant women with cardiac infants presented some complications during pregnancy, and the most frequent was Urinary Tract Infection; 55 infants needed some ventilatory support, 14 had at least one extubation failure during the hospitalization period, and 8 presented atelectasis. Persistence of the ductus arteriosus was the most common cardiologic finding, and the most frequent congenital heart diseases were those that decreased pulmonary flow, diagnosed mostly in premature infants who needed some ventilation support, but who were discharged from hospital.Keywords: Infant, Premature. Intensive Care Units, Neonatal. Neonatology.ResumoCardiopatias congênitas (CC) são consideradas as malformações mais comuns encontradas na neonatologia. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar as CC de recém-nascidos prematuros em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN) de uma maternidade de alto risco. Tratase de um estudo observacional retrospectivo, de caráter descritivo, realizado em uma maternidade escola, referência em gestação de alto risco do estado do Rio Grande do Norte. O estudo foi realizado com os bebês prematuros admitidos na UTIN, que apresentaram algum achado cardiológico ao realizar o exame de ecocardiograma. A coleta de dados foi realizada através dos prontuários dos bebês internados no período de dezembro de 2016 a dezembro de 2017. Foram avaliados 371 prontuários, sendo elencados para o estudo 58 bebês, 38 apresentaram persistência do canal arterial (PCA) e foram alocados no grupo PCA e 20 apresentaram outro tipo de CC e foram alocados no grupo CC. 55 bebês necessitaram do uso de algum suporte ventilatório, 14 apresentaram pelo menos uma falha de extubação durante o período de internação e 8 apresentaram atelectasia. Cerca de metade das gestantes com bebês cardiopatas apresentaram alguma intercorrência durante a gestação. A mais frequente foi à infecção do trato urinário. A PCA foi o achado cardiológico mais comum da amostra (65%) e dentre os 20 RN com diferentes CC, as que causam o baixo fluxo pulmonar foram as mais frequentes (70%), sendo encontradas em sua maioria em prematuros que necessitaram de algum suporte ventilatório, mas que receberam alta hospitalar.Palavras-chave: Recém-Nascido Prematuro. Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal. Neonatologia.