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 2021 are available free of charge.

Recent issues are available on subscription via our online shop.

Current issue: November 2023

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.

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

Newborn infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are highly vulnerable to colonisation and infection by multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB). Healthcare-associated infections due to MDRB are an emerging threat, associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This article analyses the MDRB colonisation rate in a level 3 NICU and its associated risk factors, as well as the subsequent development of infection.

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

The NHS England Three Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services¹ prioritises compassionate care for families and compassionate cultures for staff. In a previous article, we proposed a shared language and understanding of the complexities of practising compassion in this context and why it can feel hard to do.² In the following article, we outline what is required to take practical steps – at each level of the system – to foster compassionate care in maternity and neonatal services.

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

Neonatal resuscitation guidelines vary in their recommendations for oxygen saturation (SpO₂) targets – some use a single SpO₂ target, others use a target range. We conducted a prospective observational study collecting SpO₂ data on preterm infants born at <34 weeks’ gestation. The objective of our study was to determine if using a range, rather than a single SpO₂ target, would be more achievable during preterm infant resuscitation

Full articles available from the current issue ...

Open access:

From the November 2021 edition

FREE Practical considerations for deferred cord clamping with intact cord stabilisation
Vennila Ponnusamy

Deferred cord clamping (DCC) has been shown to significantly reduce mortality in preterm infants. It is therefore recommended as a standard practice in all preterm infants for a minimum duration of 60 seconds. Currently, this has been shown to be poorly implemented across all UK neonatal units. In addition to various factors underpinning this, there are practical difficulties in stabilising extreme preterm infants with an intact cord during DCC. In this article, we hope to provide some practical tips from our experience in successfully implementing this practice in our unit over the last 18 months.

FREE Intra-thoracic lesions mimicking congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Annie Colthorpe, Anthony Emmerson, Susan Kamupira, Nick Lansdale, Kristin Tanney

FREE The role of procalcitonin when reviewing antibiotics for possible early onset infection
Charlotte R. Burleigh, Katherine J. Pettinger

FREE Stuck inside a hall of mirrors: facets of mum guilt on the SCBU
Rachel Collum

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

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Redefining thermoregulation.

Draeger Medical UK Ltd

Nutriprem - for professionals.

Nutricia Ltd

Seeing really is believing.

Walters Medical

Temperature management specialists.

Central Medical Supplies Ltd

Redefining thermoregulation.

Draeger Medical UK Ltd

Nutriprem - for professionals.

Nutricia Ltd

Seeing really is believing.

Walters Medical

Temperature management specialists.

Central Medical Supplies Ltd

Redefining thermoregulation.

Draeger Medical UK Ltd

Nutriprem - for professionals.

Nutricia Ltd

Seeing really is believing.

Walters Medical

Temperature management specialists.

Central Medical Supplies Ltd

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.

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Embrace neonatal MRI system: mitigating infection risk in the NICU

Published in Volume 16/Issue 3, May 2020

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In the latest news...

Mum’s book raises money for NICU that kept her baby alive

November 8, 2023

Writer and mother, Emma Innes, has published her first book to raise money for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at University College London Hospital that saved her now seven-year-old daughter’s life.

Full story

NNAP and MBRRACE-UK publish new reports

November 8, 2023

The latest reports from the National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP) and MBRRACE-UK are now available.

Full story

Major advance for detecting brain conditions in babies

November 8, 2023

Experts at Evelina London Children's Hospital and King's College London have made major advances in detecting brain conditions in babies using portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.

Full story