in the spotlight
Workshop on Perinatal Practice Strategies 2009 Summary
This year's annual retreat in the sun, held in Phoenix, AZ, April 3-5, marked the 32nd Annual Workshop on Perinatal Practice Strategies. For a summary of "The Lightbulb Moment: Embedding Innovation in Practice", written by Mark Mammel, click here.
Featured Article
State of the Art in Conventional Mechanical Ventilation
Despite a shift to noninvasive respiratory support, mechanical ventilation remains an essential tool in the care of critically ill neonates. This review examines the special challenges of ventilating the extremely low birth weight infants that now constitute an increasing proportion of ventilated infants, attempts to provide a simple functional classification of ventilator modes and addresses the key aspects of synchronized ventilation modes.
Review by Martin Keszler, MD »in the news
National Association of Neonatal Nurses Issues Statement on Human Milk and Breastfeeding
Mother's milk and breastfeeding are important aspects of optimal care of newborns, especially those who are born preterm or with other serious conditions. The unique nutritional and immunological benefits of human milk make it an integral component of care of infants in the newborn intensive care unit. NANN has issued a statement strongly supporting human milk and breastfeeding.
View the NANN statement»Call for AAP Section on Perinatal Pediatrics District Grants
and Award Nominations
The Section on Perinatal Pediatrics offers grants of up to $4,000 for educational or organization purposes within the individual perinatal districts. Nominations for the Apgar award, the Neonatal Education award and the Landmark award are now being accepted. The deadline for all submissions is March 1, 2010.
2010 Call for District Grants »2010 Call for Apgar Award Nominations »
2010 Call for Neonatal Award Nominations »
2010 Call for Landmark Award Nominations »
Important Resuscitation Coding Corrections
An error in CPT 2009 regarding 99465, a code for attendance at delivery, is causing denial of your codes for attendance at delivery with resuscitation.
What should you do? »Breastfeeding Residency Curriculum Online Resource Available
A free online resource, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, helps residents develop confidence and skills in breastfeeding care and includes: presentations on breastfeeding management, clinical cases and evaluation
and tracking tools.
PDAs in Infants: To Close or Not to Close?
In preterm neonates with a patient ductus arteriosus (PDA), the standard of care has been to attempt to close the defect. Yet some experts have asked whether we need to treat PDA in most preemies. If we are to resolve the condition, there are various methods and protocols for treatment and even prevention; how do outcomes for PDA closure vary by treament strategy? Dr. Darshak Sanghavi, chief of pediatric cardiology and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, lays out the important points of discussion on PDA closure with host, Dr. Jennifer Shu.
Listen to podcast »what is the Section on perinatal pediatrics?
The Section on Perinatal Pediatrics is the home organization for specialists in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and also welcomes affiliate members working in related disciplines. At a membership of nearly 3,500, the Section is the largest specialty subgroup of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Section's highest priority is to ensure optimal health and well-being of babies and mothers and this is accomplished through the Section's core activities in the realms of advocacy, education, outreach and support of clinicians and researchers.
Section committees and working groups focus on perinatal health from many viewpoints: advocacy, education, training, career development, guidelines and policy statements, and other publications. The Section values its collaborative relationship with the American Board of Pediatrics on issues relevant to certification and recertification. Finally, the Section honors leaders and records significant historical moments in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.
Section Partners
Members benefit from the Section's productive working relationships with many AAP subgroups as well as with liaison organizations that share the goal of optimizing perinatal health.
Committee on the Fetus and Newborn: COFN develops, revises and recommends for retirement Academy statements and guidelines relevant to the care of newborn infants. The Committee also, in collaboration with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, produces the Handbook for Perinatal Care, now in its 6th edition.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program: Now in its 26th year, the NRP has trained more than 2 million perinatal caregivers worldwide.
Organization of Neonatal Training Program Directors: ONTPD was founded by the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics leaders and has proven to be effective both in guiding and responding to changes in neonatal-perinatal training requirements.
Liaison Organizations: The Section works closely with AAP committee and section liaisons as well as liaison organizations beyond Academy walls who share the commitment to perinatal health.
