KEY POINTS 1. Major structural abnormalities of the eye in neonates include anophthalmos (no ocular tissues), microphthalmos (small, disorganized eye), nanophthalmos (small but relatively normally structured eye), and buphthalmos (whole eye is enlarged). 2. Major eyelid defects in neonates include…
KEY POINTS 1. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease characterized by altered vascularization of the immature retina of premature infants and is common cause of reduced vision in the developed world. 2. The first, obliterative phase of ROP occurs…
KEY POINTS 1. Congenital renal anomalies account for one-fourth of all congenital anomalies. 2. Early pre- or postnatal detection can facilitate appropriate, timely management. 3. Many infants will require coordinated, multispecialty treatment. 4. Renal abnormalities are being increasingly recognized in…
KEY POINTS 1. Blood pressure should be measured with the proper cuff size on the right upper arm with attention to technique when using oscillometric devices in neonates. 2. Blood pressure is rapidly changing during the first weeks of life,…
KEY POINTS 1. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is an effective therapy for treating neonates with acute kidney injury (AKI) and inborn errors of metabolism with hyperammonemia. 2. Peritoneal dialysis is used most frequently to treat AKI in neonates, although intermittent…
KEY POINTS 1. Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously referred to as “acute renal failure”, is defined by an abrupt change in the glomerular filtration rate with rising serum creatinine levels or decrease in urine output. AKI is associated with adverse…
KEY POINTS 1. At birth, the fetal-neonatal immune system gets activated. It is critical for survival to recognize and eliminate all the potentially dangerous pathogens in the infant’s external and its own enteric environment. 2. The innate arm is particularly…
KEY POINTS 1. The fetal-neonatal immune system becomes activated at birth to play a role in host defense and eliminate environmental pathogens but also to tolerate self-antigens, nutrients, and commensals. 2. The innate immune system is comprised of neutrophils, the…
KEY POINTS 1. In the United States an infant is born every 15 minutes who will develop symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS); each year, about 32,000 infants are estimated to develop NAS. 2. The exposure of the developing fetus to…
KEY POINTS 1. Spina bifida is the most common nonlethal birth defect of the central nervous system and occurs when the vertebral column fails to close, resulting in neurologic impacts from both the abnormal formation and ongoing damage to the…