The Incubator

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Whole-Body Hypothermia for Neonatal Encephalopathy in Preterm Infants 33 to 35 Weeks' Gestation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Faix RG, Laptook AR, Shankaran S, Eggleston B, Chowdhury D, Heyne RJ, Das A, Pedroza C, Tyson JE, Wusthoff C, Bonifacio SL, Sánchez PJ, Yoder BA, Laughon MM, Vasil DM, Van Meurs KP, Crawford MM, Higgins RD, Poindexter BB, Colaizy TT, Hamrick SEG, Chalak LF, Ohls RK, Hartley-McAndrew ME, Dysart K, D'Angio CT, Guillet R, Kicklighter SD, Carlo WA, Sokol GM, DeMauro SB, Hibbs AM, Cotten CM, Merhar SL, Bapat RV, Harmon HM, Sewell E, Winter S, Natarajan G, Mosquera R, Hintz SR, Maitre NL, Benninger KL, Peralta-Carcelen M, Hines AC, Duncan AF, Wilson-Costello DE, Trembath A, Malcolm WF, Walsh MC; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network.JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Feb 24:e246613. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6613. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39992674

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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Neonatal intermittent hypoxemia events are associated with later systemic hypertension.

Martinez S, Chen Z, Di Fiore JM, Nguyen C, Minich NM, Hibbs AM.Pediatr Res. 2025 Jan 31. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03881-w. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39885241

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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Short Duration of Antenatal Corticosteroid Exposure and Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants.

Chawla S, Wyckoff MH, Lakshminrusimha S, Rysavy MA, Patel RM, Chowdhury D, Das A, Greenberg RG, Natarajan G, Shankaran S, Bell EF, Ambalavanan N, Younge NE, Laptook AR, Pavlek LR, Backes CH, Van Meurs KP, Werner EF, Carlo WA; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network (NRN).JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Feb 3;8(2):e2461312. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61312.PMID: 39982720 Free PMC article.

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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Evaluating decision regret after extremely preterm birth.

Belden L, Kaempf J, Mackley A, Kernan-Schloss F, Chen C, Sturtz W, Tomlinson MW, Guillen U.Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2025 Feb 21;110(2):191-199. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-327287.PMID: 39164062

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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Response to Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Mortality Among Very Preterm Neonates With Pulmonary Hypertension.

Baczynski M, Weisz D, Thomas L, Fevrier S, Castaldo M, Soraisham A, Hyderi A, Agarushi R, Bhattacharya S, Lalitha R, Sidhu A, Abdul Wahab MG, Altit G, Hébert A, Louis D, Elsayed Y, Mitra S, Deshpande P, Kharrat A, Zhu F, Ting J, Yoon E, Shah PS, Jain A; Canadian Neonatal Network Investigators.JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Feb 3;8(2):e2458843. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.58843.PMID: 39928335 Free PMC article.

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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Delirium in the NICU is an under-recognized and under-assessed challenge. In this episode of The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Karishma Rao and clinical pharmacist Alex Oschman from Children’s Mercy Hospital to explore the complexities of neonatal delirium. Drawing on their collaborative work and recent publication in Frontiers in Pharmacology, they unpack the nuances of distinguishing delirium from pain, agitation, withdrawal, and sedation—particularly in medically complex, long-stay infants.

The conversation highlights the limitations of current assessment tools, such as the CAPD (Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium), and the barriers to implementation in the NICU setting. The team shares practical strategies, including modifying pain and withdrawal protocols, minimizing deliriogenic medications like benzodiazepines and opioids, and emphasizing non-pharmacological interventions like early mobility, sleep hygiene, and environmental optimization.

They also discuss pharmacologic options when needed, such as the selective use of atypical antipsychotics like quetiapine or risperidone, and raise critical questions about how developmental care might reduce the need for sedation altogether. This episode is a call to action for NICU teams to better understand, assess, and address delirium in our most vulnerable patients through collaborative, multidisciplinary care. 

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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In this packed episode of Neo News, Eli, Ben, and Daphna dive into the headlines impacting neonatology and public health. The trio starts with the controversial confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of HHS, analyzing his actions around the CDC, NIH, vaccine policy, and the implications of promoting “informed consent” messaging in place of public health advocacy. Drawing from reporting by The New York Times, STAT News, and Science Magazine, the team unpacks how these shifts could affect vaccine uptake in the NICU.

Next, they examine the threat to birthright citizenship in the U.S., based on analysis from The New York Times, and how immigration policy may directly impact NICU families’ access to care and trust in healthcare systems.

They also discuss a Wall Street Journal article detailing the erosion of trust in physicians post-pandemic and the fallout from a recent JAMA Pediatrics study on therapeutic hypothermia in late preterms, which raised questions about research transparency.

Other highlights include studies from Scientific Reports, JAMA Network Open, and The New York Times on air pollution, paternity leave, language-concordant care, and breastfeeding. The show ends with a call to action from Dr. Shadel Shah’s op-ed advocating for the continuation of the PREEMIE Act.

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Ilana Levene, who is now a Neonatology subspeciality trainee at Oxford, England. Ilana has done some fantastic work on exploring the important topic of human milk expression. She described her randomized control trial in using relaxing techniques to facilitate human milk expression in the NICU. She shared the challenges that she had in conducting her RCT. We also talked about RCTs with negative results and how negative results are also important in conducting research. Ilana has now created a website with printables for parents and staff in the NICU on human milk expression. This can be assessed for free here : http://www.hifn.org/printable . Ilana also shared her interest in perinatal equity and shared details on her project Spectrum which involves gathering photos of the lactating breast conditions/chest from people with a wide spectrum of skin
colours. These will be provided as a free educational image library. Currently she is chairing a priority setting partnership for LGBTQIA+ perinatal care.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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In this episode of Beyond the Beeps, Leah discusses the importance of understanding a baby's senses in the NICU with occupational therapists Emily Hills and Lindsay Hardy. They explore the concept of co-occupation and co-regulation, emphasizing the vital role parents play in their baby's development. The conversation delves into the eight senses, the impact of early birth on sensory development, and practical tips for parents to enhance their baby's NICU experience. The episode highlights the significance of parental presence and the right way to interact with babies in a sensitive environment. In this conversation, Lindsay and Emily discuss the vital role of parents in the NICU, emphasizing the importance of breathing, connection, and communication. They explore the concept of touch times, the significance of sensory needs in the NICU environment, and how parents can manage their baby's pain during procedures. The discussion highlights the need for a supportive environment for both parents and healthcare providers, focusing on the shared sensory experiences that can enhance care. Ultimately, they convey a message of hope for families navigating the challenges of the NICU journey.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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In this week’s episode, Daphna hosts a powerful roundtable featuring Drs. Kerri Machut, Milenka Cuevas-Guaman, Emily Miller, Christine Bishop, and Christiane Dammann—leaders of a national effort to improve neonatology staffing. Together, they share insights from their recently developed recommendations, created through a Delphi consensus process and supported by a strategic grant from the AAP Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. These evidence-informed guidelines aim to promote safer, more sustainable, and more transparent staffing models in NICUs across the country. The team discusses key themes including defining clinical FTEs in hours per year, ensuring flexible scheduling, protecting time for scholarly and administrative work, and how to advocate for systemic change. Notably, these landmark recommendations have been accepted for publication in the journal Pediatrics and will be available online in May 2025. Listeners will also learn about an upcoming toolkit designed to help individuals and institutions apply these recommendations in practice. Whether you’re a practicing neonatologist, a trainee, or in a leadership role, this conversation offers timely solutions to address burnout, support workforce well-being, and ultimately improve care for the smallest and sickest patients.

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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