Objective The COVID-19 pandemic was declared a pandemic and a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 infection is the most common cause of life-threatening acute respiratory tract infection in adults and older people but more mildly in the childhood age group. While the pandemic continues, there is no clear information about the vertical transmission of COVID-19 infection from the mother to the baby. Methods In our study, we aimed to examine vertical virus transmission (breast milk, amniotic fluid, placenta) in pregnant women with COVID-19 infection and to examine the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of these infants. Our prospective and observational study was conducted in our hospital between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Results During the study period, a total of 24 infants were included. All infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for postnatal follow-up. The virus was not detected in breast milk or amniotic fluids by the SARS-COV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, and no evidence of vertical transmission was found. Conclusion In our study, no life-threatening complication was found in the babies of mothers infected with COVID-19 at birth. Babies born to mothers with COVID-19 infection did not develop any system findings that required specific treatment.

Background: Antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) therapy is well established for improving respiratory outcomes in early preterm infants; however, its role in late preterm neonates remains controversial because of uncertainties regarding real-world applicability, optimal timing, patient selection, and potential confounding. This study aimed to evaluate the adjusted association between ACS exposure and neonatal respiratory morbidity among late preterm infants. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study screened 1,786 late preterm births between January 2014 and December 2019. After application of strict eligibility criteria, 265 neonates (14.8%) born at 34⁰/₇ to 36⁶/₇ weeks of gestation were included in the final analysis. Neonates born to mothers who received a complete course of ACS and delivered between 24 h and 7 days after completion of therapy constituted the ACS-exposed group ( n = 112), while those without ACS exposure during the late preterm period constituted the non-exposed group ( n = 153). Respiratory outcomes were classified according to the level and duration of respiratory support. The primary outcome was composite severe respiratory morbidity. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted associations. Results: Overall respiratory morbidity was observed less frequently among ACS-exposed neonates. In adjusted analysis including gestational age as completed-week categories, neonates not exposed to ACS had higher odds of composite severe respiratory morbidity compared with ACS-exposed neonates (adjusted OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.11–4.27, p = 0.023). Conclusions: In this retrospective real-world cohort, complete ACS exposure within a defined 24-hour to 7-day ACS-to-delivery interval was associated with lower odds of severe respiratory morbidity among late preterm neonates. Because the analysis included 265 of 1,786 screened late preterm births and focused on neonates with complete ACS exposure within the predefined ACS-to-delivery interval, potential selection bias and limited generalizability should be considered. Given the observational design, gestational age imbalance, maternal comorbidity imbalance, and potential residual confounding, these findings should be interpreted as adjusted associations rather than evidence of a causal effect.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive effect of laboratory results and blood gas values on the selection of respiratory support models in infants diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN). Method: The study was designed as a single‐center, retrospective study. Infants born with gestational age ≥ 35 weeks diagnosed with TTN during a 2‐year period were included. Demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters, respiratory support models, and length of hospital stay were recorded. The relationship between the obtained parameters and the percentage and duration of oxygen requirement, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP), nasal synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (nSIMV), intubation, and hospitalization duration was evaluated. Results: The study was completed with 327 infants. A correlation was found between pH and pCO2 values in the first blood gas analysis and the duration of oxygen administration ( p : 0.019 and p : 0.001), and between serum calcium levels and peak sodium levels and the duration of nSIMV ( p : 0.04 and p : 0.023). Low serum calcium, phosphorus, and initial sodium levels were identified in infants requiring invasive ventilation ( p : 0.001, p : 0.006, and p : 0.012, respectively). In the ROC analysis used to predict intubation, the cutoff value for calcium was determined as < 8.11 mg/dL (AUC 0.771, [95% CI: 0.669–0.872], p : <0.001). For predicting the need for nCPAP, the cutoff value for pH in the first blood gas analysis was < 7.32 (AUC 0.705, [95% CI: 0.586–0.823], p : 0.003), and for predicting the need for nSIMV, the cutoff value for pH was < 7.28 (AUC 0.599, [95% CI: 0.535–0.663], p : 0.003). Conclusions: It was determined that the initial blood gas pH and pCO2 values, as well as serum sodium, calcium, and phosphorus levels, could be used to predict the treatment model in infants diagnosed with TTN. Low calcium, phosphorus, and sodium levels were found in TTN‐diagnosed infants requiring invasive mechanical ventilation.

The Medical Bulletin of Sisli Etfal Hospital

Ömrünü eğitime ve tıp bilimine adamış, pediatri alanında kendi eğitimini tamamlayan ve hala sürdüren yazarlarımız ile iki yıldır süren çalışmalarımızın meyvesi olan kitabımız için çok mutluyuz. Yedi yaşından beri gece gündüz demeden çalışan, pediatri uzmanlığını ve yan dalını hakkıyla tamamlamak için çok emek harcayan arkadaşlar, tecrübelerini ve öğrendiklerini eğitime yeni başlayan meslektaşlarına aktarmak için bir kılavuz olacak bu kitabı hazırladık. Bu kitabın; pratisyen hekim, pediatri asistanları ve uzmanlarına klinik pratikte en sık karşılaşacakları hastalıkların tanısı, kliniği ve tedavisi konusunda hızlıca bilgilere ulaşabilmeleri açısından çok büyük kolaylık sağlayacağına inanıyoruz. Bu nedenle acillerde, polikliniklerde ve servislerde sıkça başvurulan bir kitap olacağını düşünüyoruz.

Aims: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in young infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 235 young infants hospitalized with viral LRTI between January 2018 and January 2024. Patients were categorized into pre-pandemic (n=54), during the pandemic (n=64), and post-pandemic (n=117) periods. Demographic characteristics, viral pathogen distribution, respiratory support requirements, length of stay, and clinical morbidities were compared. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).Results: RSV was the most frequently identified pathogen (49.8%), followed by SARS-CoV-2 (8.5%), influenza (6.4%), and rhinovirus (3.0%); no pathogen was detected in 24.7% of cases. Viral distribution differed significantly across pandemic periods (χ² test, p=0.017; Cramer’s V=0.35). RSV proportion increased from 40.7% (pre-pandemic) to 53.0% (post-pandemic), while SARS-CoV-2 emerged during the pandemic (20.3%). Respiratory support requirements differed significantly (p=0.002; Cramer’s V=0.22), with invasive ventilation decreasing from 50.0% (pre-pandemic) to 20.5% (post-pandemic). Length of NICU stay did not differ significantly among periods (p=0.354). Clinical morbidities were comparable across periods (all p>0.05). In multivariate analysis, RSV-related infection independently predicted IMV (OR 4.36, 95% CI 2.15-8.84, p