Infant journal

for neonatal and paediatric healthcare professionals

Infant journal is the leading UK publication for the multidisciplinary team that cares for vulnerable sick or premature babies in their first year of life. Published bi-monthly, the journal contains authoritative articles with a clinical or practical bias written by experts in their field.

Abstracts of all articles are freely accessible by using the site search, or by browsing back issues. The full text of articles published from 2005 until November 2023 are available free of charge.

Recent issues are available on subscription via our online shop.

Current issue: December/January 2025/26

From the cradle to the classroom: Improving educational support for preterm-born children and families
Alison Green, Catriona Ogilvy, Camilla Gilmore, Samantha Johnson

Improving educational support is crucial for improving outcomes and experiences for preterm-born children and their families. Here we present evidence underpinning the need to upskill education professionals and raise awareness of prematurity in the education sector. We describe the work we are doing to improve educational support for children and families and the emerging impact of that work

Prevention of umbilical catheter dislodgement and migration in neonatal population
Dr Su Wei Ng, Dr Prakash Kannan Loganathan

A 23-week corrected gestation preterm infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation. The neonatal team successfully inserted both umbilical venous and umbilical arterial catheters and x-ray confirmed their optimal position. On day two of life, the umbilical vein catheter was found to be dislodged out of position and the umbilical artery catheter had also apparently migrated out. The neonatal team performed another umbilical vein insertion procedure. Following this procedure, the infant developed hypothermia and an increasing oxygen requirement. This literature review will question whether any intervention could have prevented the umbilical catheter dislodgement or migration.

Establishing an SLT-ENT neonatal inpatient FEES service in the UK: Diagnostic impact on dysphagia and upper airway pathologies
Alanna Thompson (née Wagher), Nicoll Bell

This paper describes a pioneering neonatal SLT-ENT flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) service delivered jointly by specialist neonatal speech and language therapists (SLT) and paediatric ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons. The service assesses swallowing physiology, secretion management and upper airway anatomy for neonates with suspected dysphagia, in whom silent aspiration and airway anomalies are often undetected. This joint SLT-ENT model enabled safe, efficient completion of FEES in a tertiary neonatal unit and facilitated earlier, more accurate diagnosis of dysphagia and previously unrecognised upper airway abnormalities.

Necrotising enterocolitis: To PCT or not to PCT?
Erin Frankel, Sydnie Harris-Campbell, Dr Nicola Mullins, Dr Liz McKechnie, Dr Ourania Pappa

A national survey of all 24 national neonatal surgical centres explored preventive strategies for necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Particular focus was given to the use of procalcitonin (PCT) in other centres, given that Leeds neonatal units have been at the forefront of incorporating the biomarker into sepsis detection and antimicrobial stewardship. National adoption remains limited. Evidence suggests that early elevation of PCT levels may differentiatie surgical from medical NEC and improve diagnostic accuracy when combined with other markers, supporting its potential as an early biomarker of NEC severity.

Full articles available from the current issue ...

Open access:

From the November 2023 edition

FREE Patent ductus arteriosus: are we treating the right ones?
Daniel Hickman, Anupam Gupta, Arin Mukherjee

Variability in the diagnosis of haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) can result in treating inconsequential PDAs and causes difficulty in interpreting clinical outcomes from the available literature. This study evaluates the echocardiogram parameters used to ascertain hsPDA in very low birth weight infants in a tertiary care centre in the UK. Extremely premature infants that received pharmacological or surgical treatment for a PDA were evaluated for basic characteristics, diagnostic echocardiograms, closure rates and eventual outcomes of persistent duct on follow-up.

FREE Bacterial colonisation in a neonatal intensive care unit
Carolina Oliveira Gonçalves, Catarina Garcia, Elzara Aliyeva, Marta Ferreira, Rosalina Barroso

FREE The anatomy of compassion part 2: nurturing compassionate cultures of maternity and neonatal care
Davy Evans, Ruth Butterworth, Ellie Atkins, Karen Barr, Rebecca Chilvers, Samantha Cole, Jacinta Cordwell, Anita D’Urso, Siobhan Higgins, Angela Marsh

FREE Achieving oxygen saturation targets in preterm infants at birth: does using an SpO₂ target range help?
Prakash Kannan Loganathan, Amelia Bearn, Vrinda Nair, Difu Shi, Carlton Baugh

Use our site search to find more 'open access' Infant articles

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Advanced Technology Infant Transport and Temperature Devices. BabyPod.

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Neonatal Jaundice. We've got you covered.

Central Medical Supplies Ltd

Werfen Limited

Advanced Technology Infant Transport and Temperature Devices. BabyPod.

Advanced Healthcare Technology

Health Professional Academy

Neonatal Jaundice. We've got you covered.

Central Medical Supplies Ltd

Werfen Limited

Advanced Technology Infant Transport and Temperature Devices. BabyPod.

Advanced Healthcare Technology

Health Professional Academy

Supplements and Advances in Practice

Here, freely available for download, are the sponsored supplements and Advances in Practice guides published by Infant.

If you are interested in sponsoring a future topic, please consult our advertising pages.

View all available supplements

Technical advances in point-of-care testing to identify haemolysed samples and reduce errors in potassium readings

Published in Volume 21 Issue 6/December 2025

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PDF

Supplier Guide

Our supplier guide provides a searchable database of companies involved in supporting the care of sick and premature infants, grouped by product or service category. You can search by an area of activity, company name or by a combination of these.

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In the latest news...

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust supports groundbreaking genomic screening for newborns

December 19, 2025

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is part of a national initiative that could transform the future of healthcare for thousands of families. The Generation Study is offering whole genome sequencing to newborn babies in hospitals across the country.

Full story

Cutting-edge baby brain scan technology is world first

December 19, 2025

A team effort to develop the world’s first cot-side functional neuroimaging technology to speedily detect brain injuries including cerebral palsy in newborn babies is being spearheaded in Cambridge.

Full story

Early discharge project gains Musgrove Park team recognition at neonatal care awards

December 19, 2025

Staff on the Somerset Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Musgrove Park Hospital reached the finals at the national Neonatal Nurses Association Awards for the work the team has carried out to help babies be discharged safely home up to five days earlier than before, freeing up valuable bed space.

Full story