Neonatal hypocalcemia is among the most common metabolic abnormalities in early life, particularly in preterm and critically ill infants. Maternal and neon

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.

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