Rinako Ino
I participated in FAOPS held in Perth the other day, where I presented a poster on the following topic and engaged in discussions with other participants.
“Resuscitation using a plastic bag improves neurodevelopmental outcomes at corrected 18 months of extremely preterm infants.”
Admission hypothermia is known to increase neonatal morbidity and mortality. Plastic bag(PB) use during resuscitation is effective in preventing hypothermia. However, its impact on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes remains unknown. We therefore aimed to evaluate whether PB use improves their neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months corrected age.
This retrospective study included infants born at the Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital between January 2018 and January 2025 with a gestational age of 22+0 to 27+6 weeks. We examined the effect of PB use on the total developmental quotient at 18 months corrected age (DQ18) using multiple regression analysis.
A total of 98 infants were included (45 without PB, 53 with PB). Infants in the PB group had higher rectal temperature in delivery room and on admission. In the adjusted regression model, PB use was independently associated with higher DQ18. The findings suggest that PB use during resuscitation may contribute to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes, despite an increased risk of hyperthermia. Further research is needed to clarify long-term effects and optimize temperature management strategies in extremely preterm infants.
