KEY POINTS 1. Anemia is an abnormal, and an unhealthy, reduction in the blood hemoglobin concentration or the hematocrit. There are limitations in our current definitions of anemia, which are based on “reference intervals” constructed from clinically obtained laboratory tests,…
KEY POINTS 1. We still need a universally accepted definition of severe hyperbilirubinemia; no particular thresholds of unconjugated or total bilirubin levels have been definitively associated with acute or chronic bilirubin encephalopathy. 2. Several measurements can be useful for the…
KEY POINTS 1. Shock is a clinical condition marked by poor tissue perfusion resulting in inadequate oxygen delivery and tissue hypoxia. 2. Neonates with shock have hypotension or poor tissue perfusion, and there are important surrogate markers such as prolonged…
KEY POINTS 1. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in young infants is defined as a resting mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥20 mm Hg. 2. The mPAP at birth resembles the systemic blood pressure and then drops to infrasystemic levels over the…
KEY POINTS 1. The normal cardiac electrical signal travels from the atria to the ventricles through a conduction system comprised of the sinus node, atrioventricular (AV) node, His bundle, and Purkinje system. 2. The AV node normally regulates the electrical…
KEY POINTS 1. The natural history of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) varies tremendously. Some critical CHDs become symptomatic and require therapeutic intervention in the neonatal period. 2. Patients with CHDs that result in inadequate pulmonary blood flow typically demonstrate cyanosis…
KEY POINTS 1. Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in young infants. These malformations account for approximately 300,000 deaths yearly. 2. Cardiac septal defects are the most common type of anomalies. Ventricular septal defects…
KEY POINTS 1. Congenital heart disease (CHDs) are seen in 6 to 10 per 1000 live births. These include structural defects of the heart, of the great vessels, or both. 2. During the newborn period, the most important presenting features…
KEY POINTS 1. Fungal infections including invasive Candida infections and molds (aspergillosis and mucormycosis) are devastating infections most commonly complicating extreme preterm infants due to their underdeveloped immune system combined with the need for intensive care and any neonate with…
KEY POINTS 1. Congenital syphilis is a global public health problem, particularly in the Americas where its incidence appears to be rising. 2. At birth 90% of infants are asymptomatic, the remaining 10% present a wide variety of symptoms from…