Nursing Shortage May Harm Infants in Intensive Care, Study Says

Title: Nursing Shortage May Harm Infants in Intensive Care, Study Says
Category: Health News
Created: 3/18/2013 4:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/19/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Mother's Drinking Increases Risk of Infant's Death: Study

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Children of women who are diagnosed with an alcohol disorder during pregnancy or within a year after giving birth have a three-fold higher risk of dying from SIDS -- sudden infant death syndrome -- compared to babies whose mothers do not have alcohol issues, according to a new Australian study.

In the study, a mother's problem drinking was implicated in about one out of every six SIDS deaths, according to the researchers. Alcohol abuse by the mothers was also linked with about 3 percent of the deaths caused by something other than SIDS, the researchers found.

"Maternal alcohol-use disorder is a significant risk factor for SIDS and infant mortality excluding SIDS," wrote researcher Colleen O'Leary, of Curtin University in Perth, and colleagues.

The study was published online Feb. 25 and in the March print issue of the journal Pediatrics

SIDS is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year old that can't be explained after thoroughly investigating, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overall, SIDS deaths have dropped by more than half since 1990, the CDC noted. Even so, it is still the leading cause of death among U.S. babies aged 1 month to 1 year.

In 2009, about 2,200 U.S. children died from SIDS. The rate is still disproportionately high among some groups, including American Indians, Alaskan natives and blacks, the Australian researchers said.

Australia has a higher-than-average infant death rate, with more than four of every 1,000 live births affected, according to study background information.

Experts have known that certain risk factors increase the chances of SIDS, including bed sharing, maternal smoking and putting a baby to sleep on their stomach. Prevention guidelines recommend positioning babies on their backs.

More recently, researchers have focused on alcohol.

The new study findings did not surprise David P. Phillips, a professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego, who also has reported a link between parental alcohol intake and SIDS deaths. As alcohol consumption rises -- such as on New Year's and weekends -- so do the number of SIDS deaths, he found.

"We know that when people are under the influence of alcohol, they perform tasks much more poorly, including parenting," he said.

For the new study, the Australian researchers evaluated nearly 78,000 live births from 1983 to 2005. They found nearly 22,000 of the mothers had an alcohol diagnosis such as acute alcohol intoxication or dependence. About 56,000 did not.

In all, more than 300 children died from SIDS and nearly 600 others died of other causes.

Although the study found an association between infant death and maternal drinking, it didn't establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The researchers can't explain exactly why alcohol abuse and SIDS are linked. They speculate that the alcohol has a bad effect on the development of the brainstem during pregnancy.

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FDA Approves Tamiflu for Infants

Dec. 21, 2012 -- Children as young as 2 weeks old may now be treated for the flu with Tamiflu.

The FDA expanded its approval today for Tamiflu to include infants under age 1 who have had symptoms of the flu, such as stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, fever, and body aches, for no longer than two days.

It is not approved to prevent flu infection in this age group.

Tamiflu is now the only drug approved to treat the flu in children under age 1, who are at higher risk of developing complications of the flu.

Until now, Tamiflu was approved to treat the flu in adults and children ages 1 year and older who have had symptoms for less than two days. The drug is also approved to prevent flu infection in children and adults over 1 year of age.

FDA officials say there is a fixed dosing schedule for children and adults over age 1, but dosing for children under 1 year old must be calculated for each infant according to their weight.

Children under age 1 should receive 3 milligrams of Tamiflu per kilogram of body weight twice daily for five days. This smaller dose requires a different dispenser than what currently comes in the Tamiflu package.

“Pharmacists must provide the proper dispenser when filling a prescription so parents can measure and administer the correct dose to their children,” Edward Cox, MD, MPH, director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. “Parents and pediatricians must make sure children receive only the amount of Tamiflu appropriate for their weight.”

According to the CDC, children younger than 2 years old are especially vulnerable to developing complications from the flu. Infants 6 months of age and younger have the highest rates of hospitalization for the flu.

The FDA based its approval of Tamiflu for children under age 1 on data from previous studies in adults and older children.

Two new safety studies in 135 children under 1 year old with confirmed cases of the flu also showed the safety profile in infants was consistent with that found among older children and adults.

The most common side effect in these studies was vomiting and diarrhea.

Rare cases of severe rash, skin reactions, hallucinations, delirium, and abnormal behavior have been reported with use of Tamiflu but were not found in these new safety studies.

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FDA Approves Tamiflu for Infants

ByJennifer Warner
WebMD Health News Reviewed byBrunilda Nazario, MD

Dec. 21, 2012 -- Children as young as 2 weeks old may now be treated for the flu with Tamiflu.

The FDA expanded its approval today for Tamiflu to include infants under age 1 who have had symptoms of the flu, such as stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, fever, and body aches, for no longer than two days.

It is not approved to prevent flu infection in this age group.

Tamiflu is now the only drug approved to treat the flu in children under age 1, who are at higher risk of developing complications of the flu.

Until now, Tamiflu was approved to treat the flu in adults and children ages 1 year and older who have had symptoms for less than two days. The drug is also approved to prevent flu infection in children and adults over 1 year of age.

Correct Dosing for Infants Essential

FDA officials say there is a fixed dosing schedule for children and adults over age 1, but dosing for children under 1 year old must be calculated for each infant according to their weight.

Children under age 1 should receive 3 milligrams of Tamiflu per kilogram of body weight twice daily for five days. This smaller dose requires a different dispenser than what currently comes in the Tamiflu package.

“Pharmacists must provide the proper dispenser when filling a prescription so parents can measure and administer the correct dose to their children,” Edward Cox, MD, MPH, director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. “Parents and pediatricians must make sure children receive only the amount of Tamiflu appropriate for their weight.”

Infants at Risk for Flu Complications

According to the CDC, children younger than 2 years old are especially vulnerable to developing complications from the flu. Infants 6 months of age and younger have the highest rates of hospitalization for the flu.

The FDA based its approval of Tamiflu for children under age 1 on data from previous studies in adults and older children.

Two new safety studies in 135 children under 1 year old with confirmed cases of the flu also showed the safety profile in infants was consistent with that found among older children and adults.

The most common side effect in these studies was vomiting and diarrhea.

Rare cases of severe rash, skin reactions, hallucinations, delirium, and abnormal behavior have been reported with use of Tamiflu but were not found in these new safety studies.

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SOURCES:

FDA.

News release, FDA.

WebMD Drug Information from First DataBank: “Tamiflu Oral.”

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