Clinical Research Directory

Heterologous Cord Blood-Derived Red Blood Cell for Transfusion in Extremely Preterm Infants

Anemia is a condition in which there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. It is very common in extremely preterm infants (born before 28 weeks of pregnancy), and many of these babies require red blood cell transfusions during their hospital stay. Currently, transfusions are given using red blood cells donated by adults. An alternative option is to use red blood cells collected from umbilical cord blood, which may be more similar to a newborn's own blood. This approach has been used in some neonatal units with encouraging results and no reported safety concerns. This study aims to determine whether transfusion with umbilical cord blood improves clinical outcomes and reduces potential side effects compared to standard adult donor blood transfusion in extremely preterm infants. We hypothesize that umbilical cord blood transfusion will be at least as safe as adult donor blood and may provide clinical benefits. About 115 extremely preterm infants admitted to neonatal units in Catalonia will participate. If parents agree, their baby will be randomly assigned to receive either compatible umbilical cord blood or compatible adult donor blood if a transfusion becomes necessary. Babies will only receive a transfusion if they clinically need one. If cord blood is not available at the time of transfusion, the baby will receive compatible adult donor blood regardless of the assigned group. To evaluate the response to treatment, small blood samples will be collected at birth, at one month of life, and 24 hours after any transfusion. These samples are taken at the same times as routine blood tests, so participation does not require additional needle sticks. The amount of blood collected is minimal (about 0.2 mL per sample). In addition, a painless and non-invasive sensor will be placed on the baby's head for 24 hours to measure oxygen delivery to the brain. Urine samples will also be collected before and after transfusion to help assess how oxygen reaches body tissues. Participation will continue until the baby reaches 36 weeks of postmenstrual age or is discharged from the hospital, whichever comes first.

Creation of a Scale for Assessing Pain and Discomfort in Extremely Premature Infants (EDEX) Hospitalised in Neonatal Intensive Care, Inspired by the Early Infant Pain and Discomfort Scale (EDIN)

The goal of this study is to develop a new scale for assessing prolonged pain, dedicated to extremely premature infants born before 27 weeks of gestation, adapted to their particular ways of expressing pain and discomfort, which will be called the EDEX (Extremely Premature Infant Pain Assessment Scale). This scale will take into account the level of development of extremely premature infants, recognizing that the perception and manifestations of pain vary according to gestational age. It was chosen to develop a specific pain assessment scale for preterm infants born before 27 weeks of gestation, in line with their level of development and their relatively homogeneous manifestations in this population. This population, which is the most immature, is particularly fragile and sensitive to its environment and the care provided. Pain manifestations are the most subtle, vegetative reactions are very present, and the motor system is still underdeveloped, linked to low muscle tone. It is with this category of patients that the nursing staff encounter the most difficulty in assessing pain and discomfort based on the EDIN scale. After creating the new EDEX scale during the first phase of the DOU-PREMA study, both scales (EDIN and EDEX) will be administered to the same pool of extremely premature infants during the second phase of the DOU-PRÉMA study in order to assess the correlation between the two scales. The main hypothesis is that EDIN and EDEX scores will not be correlated, as the EDIN does not appear to be suitable for extremely premature infants in routine practice. if the hypothesis is confirmed, a multicenter psychometric validation of the EDEX scale will then be considered in a future study. The study is a monocentric, non-interventional observational study conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the University Hospital of Reunion Island (Site Nord). It is designed as a preliminary step toward the psychometric validation of a newly developed behavioral pain and discomfort assessment scale for extremely preterm infants (\<27 weeks' gestational age), named EDEX. The study includes two sequential phases: 1. a developmental phase dedicated to the creation of the EDEX scale : This stage is based on the production of videos of premature extreme in order to ajust the provisional scale define during a multidisciplinary meeting. 2. a cross-sectional observational phase comparing EDEX with the EDIN scale in the same population. The second phase of the project will evaluate the correlation between EDIN and EDEX scores. This protocol follows the SPIRIT recommendations for study protocols involving human participants.

Vitamin A in Cord Blood and Preterm Outcomes

This single-center prospective cohort study aims to describe the distribution of umbilical-cord blood vitamin A concentrations in extremely preterm infants (\<32 weeks' gestation) and to evaluate whether low cord blood vitamin A is associated with increased risk of neonatal morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), high-grade patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), sepsis and death before discharge.

Humidity in Incubators for Tiny Infants

The objective of the study is to assess 2 different initial incubator humidification protocols for infants \<25 weeks' gestation admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The hypothesis is that a higher starting humidity decreases dehydration and results in no difference in survival or morbidity. Higher (90%) and lower (70%) starting humidity will be compared.