Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinical condition characterized by acute diffuse inflammatory lung injury and severe hypoxemia. In 2017, the Montreux Consensus defined diagnostic criteria for ARDS in the neonatal period. The management of ARDS includes strict adherence to lung-protective ventilation strategies and therapeutic agents to improve gas exchange. We report two similar cases of premature infants with gestational ages of 23 and 24 weeks diagnosed with neonatal ARDS according to the Montreux definition. These patients developed acute worsening of oxygenation on the 30th and 28th day of life, respectively, while they were ventilated on volume-guarantee assist/control mode. Chest X-rays revealed bilateral diffuse opacity, there were no cardiogenic origins for pulmonary edema, and their oxygenation indexes were >8. Both cases fulfilled the neonatal ARDS criteria and the patients' clinical conditions were associated with late onset neonatal sepsis. After lung recruitment maneuver, the infants began HFO volume-guarantee ventilation and received surfactant treatment. Since they showed a poor short-term response, intratracheal surfactant of 100 mg/kg plus budesonide of 0.25 mg/kg were administered and their oxygenation indexes were reduced stepwise. Both patients survived and were discharged home with spontaneous breathing of room air. Neonatal ARDS is generally an underdiagnosed condition associated with sepsis, pneumonia, and meconium aspiration. Impaired surfactant activity and reduced lung compliance play important roles in its pathophysiology. To our knowledge, this is the first case report indicating the possible therapeutic role of budesonide plus surfactant in ARDS treatment. Since ARDS is an entity not recognized in newborns, we want to emphasize neonatal ARDS diagnosis and underline that the combination of budesonide and surfactant may be a novel therapeutic option in the treatment of ARDS.

Aim: To evaluate prospectively non-haemolytic term infants with marked hyperbilirubinaemia treated by phototherapy only for evidence of bilirubin toxicity at 2–6 y of age, and to determine the suitability for Turkish children of the exchange transfusion limits recently reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Methods: The study group included a total of 30 children, aged 2–6 y, who had developed marked hyperbilirubinaemia (20–24 mg dl⁻¹, 342–410 μmol l⁻¹) during the newborn period (gestational age >37wk, birthweight >2500 g) and were treated without exchange transfusion because intensive phototherapy, instituted during the preparations for exchange transfusion, was successful in decreasing their serum bilirubin levels. The control group consisted of 30 children of the same age group without clinical jaundice in the newborn period. Physical and neurological examinations, brainstem auditory-evoked potentials (BAEPs) and developmental tests for Turkish children were performed in both the study and control children. Results: There was no difference between the groups with regard to mean BAEP latencies and developmental scores. None of the infants had hearing loss, developmental delay or abnormal neurological findings. Conclusion: The results suggest that successful intensive phototherapy without exchange transfusion in otherwise healthy term newborn infants with marked hyperbilirubinaemia (20–24 mg dl⁻¹, 342–410 μmol l⁻¹) might not increase the risk of bilirubin brain injury and that the conventional limit of 20 mg dl⁻¹ (342 μmol l⁻¹) could be changed to 22–24 mg dl⁻¹ (376–410 μmol l⁻¹) for healthy term infants in Turkey. These limits, however, address only infants who do not have haemolytic disease, and the data are not sufficient to draw conclusions on the safety of even higher bilirubin levels (i.e. >24 mg dl⁻¹, 410 μmol l⁻¹) in this population.

Advances in diagnostic and therapeutic methods have led to a paradigm shift in the management of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The lack of evidence-based data in this area has led to variations in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to identify these differences and compare them with recommendations based on pathophysiology. The study was designed as an observational online survey of neonatologists from level 3 to 4 neonatal intensive care units caring for premature infants at increased risk of BPD and born before 28 weeks’ gestation. Respondents were invited to participate in the study through the portal of the Turkish Neonatal Society. Participants were surveyed online about preferred ventilation modes, settings and clinical management of these patients through each respiratory distress syndrome, evolving BPD and severe BPD phases. A total of 39 centers involved in the study. Pressure-control assist-control volume-guaranteed was the most commonly preferred ventilation mode in respiratory distress syndrome and evolving BPD, while high frequency oscillatory ventilation was most commonly used in severe BPD. The use of synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation volume-guaranteed pressure support ventilation increased with disease progression. Ventilation settings were found to be changed according to pathophysiological recommendations, but not to the extent recommended. The study shows that early ventilation strategies are predominantly maintained in the later phases of BPD, although there are notable differences between centers.