Evidence base for a care bundle to reduce IVH in preterm neonates

Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) is a significant complication of premature birth occurring in 20-25% of neonates born before 30 weeks of gestation or with a birth weight of <1,500g. It carries a risk of adverse long-term neurodevelopment outcomes in very low birth weight infants. Multiple strategies are indicated in the literature to reduce the rate of IVH in preterm infants. A systematic literature review was performed and an evidence-based IVH care bundle was developed based on the best available evidence from the literature search.

Aesha Mohammedi
Consultant in Neonatal Medicine
aesha.mohammedi@nhs.net

Lawrence Miall
Consultant in Neonatal Medicine

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Mohammedi A., Miall L. Evidence base for a care bundle to reduce IVH in preterm neonates. Infant 2023; 19(3): 94-99.

Full text available by subscription ...

The full text of this article is available to subscribers in text, and in Tablet/iPad format and as a PDF file.

Please subscribe and log in to see the full article.

Keywords

care bundle; intraventricular haemorrhage; extreme preterm babies; very low birth weight; IVH reduction

Key points

1. There is an ongoing need for a standardised evidence-based IVH care bundle.
A systematic literature review was performed to inform development of an evidence-based IVH care bundle.
A multidisciplinary team approach along with staff education and quality improvement (QI) methodology is needed to implement an IVH care bundle.
A large multicentred research trial incorporating the best evidence-based preventative IVH measures is required.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 17/ISSUE 6, NOVEMBER 2021

Practical considerations for deferred cord clamping with intact cord stabilisation

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.