Meeting Purpose
The purpose of this meeting is to provide clinically current information on the technical, medical, and nursing aspects of neonatal care as well as the legal and ethical implications related to that care. The educational sessions provide information to nurses and other health care professionals who care for newborn, premature, and sick infants and their families. Specific objectives for each presentation are listed in the conference program.

Conference Chairpersons
Debbie Fraser Askin, RNC, MN
Grace Hay, RN, MSN
Sherri Lee Simons, RNC, MSN, CCRN

Additional Opportunites for CEs
There will be additional opportunities to earn continuing education credit through industry-sponsored symposia. Check back for updates and further information.

Cardiopulmonary System Certification Review Course (Rx=1)

Common high-risk neonatal problems are presented using an approach that combines physiology and pathophysiology. Fetal pulmonary and circulatory development provide the background for conditions associated with difficulties with transition to extrauterine life. The course includes a comprehensive assessment of the pulmonary system, ventilatory strategies and disorders such as apnea of prematurity, TTN, RDS, MAS, PPHN, air leaks and pneumonia, including management and pharmacology. The Cardiac system topics include a comprehensive assessment of the cardiac system, and disorders such as congestive heart failure, PDA, acyanotic/cyanotic congenital defects, and mixed defects. Management strategies for cardiac disorders and pharmacology are discussed.

You're Not in Kansas Anymore…You're a Nurse Leader!

Feel like your dream job has turned into a nightmare? If so, you wont' want to miss this high impact day filled with: Finding Munchkins (REAL recruitment and retention), Dealing with Tornadoes (change), Managing Wicked Witches (difficult people), Connecting with Lollipops (rewards and recognition), and Clicking Your Heels with joy! The energetic, funny, and informative day will leave you so renewed you'll find there is a no place like home (nurse leadership)!

PICC Lines for the Neonate: Management and Complications (Rx=1)

This workshop is designed for neonatal nurses who are seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills to maintain PICC lines safely. Our speaker discusses management of these lines as well as identifying potential PICC line complications, implementing appropriate interventions, and problem solving catheter-related complications, Areas of nursing malpractice related to PICC lines and appropriate documentation are also discussed. This workshop does not cover PICC line insertion.

Pharmacokinetics: How Does That Stuff Work in Neonates? (Rx=3.75)

In this half-day workshop, Dr. Abdel-Rahman explains the importance of pharmacokinetic data in guiding drug dose selection in neonates. She focuses on examining the structural and functional changes in physiology that occur during growth and development. She describes the impact of these changes on how drugs get into the body, where they go once inside and how they are then removed from the body in neonates and young infants.

What Happens When Things Go Wrong: Walking the Line Between the
Practice of Neonatal Nursing and the Law

In this interactive session, participants are provided with information regarding the anatomy of a lawsuit and how simple everyday tasks (such as charting) can affect a lawsuit and the defense of their case. Attendees will interact by participating in activities that are components of a lawsuit.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) for the Extremely Busy Practitioner (EBP): Deal or No Deal?

Evidence-based practice is the buzzword in health care. But is it a practical process designed to help you find the right management options and the best "deal" or outcome for your patients? Do you wonder:

• Who has time for EBP?
• Is EBP just for researchers, or can I use it in my practice at the bedside?
• Can EBP help me promote a culture of safety, caring, and compassion for my patients?
• How can I use EBP to start to make practice improvements in my unit?

This interactive workshop provides you with tools to navigate the EBP process. Work with our speakers to formulating well-designed and clinically relevant neonatal PICO questions, practice searching for and evaluating the best evidence, and learn to integrate the evidence with clinical expertise and individual patient preferences and values. Development and evaluation clinical practice guidelines are also taught.

Better Safe Than Sorry: Principles and Practices to Support Patient Safety in the NICU

Hospital-acquired injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the NICU population. These injuries occur in spite of procedural safeguards, standardized practices, and best intentions by caregivers. So why and how do these injuries continue to occur? What can increase mindfulness to and prevention of these injuries? In this workshop you will learn about the intricacies of health care delivery systems that result in these injuries-human error factors, complexity theory, communication styles, disruptive behavior, handoff procedures, work-a-rounds and utilization of chain-of-command. Practical solutions to prevent and/or limit the impact on patient outcome are provided and professional strategies to foster adoption of safe practice across the professional milieu are explored.

Writing for Publication

For some, publishing is a job requirement, for others, a personal or professional goal. Whatever your motivation, this workshop provides you with the tools you need to get started. Taught by the author of Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know and the editor of the NRP Instructor Manual and former editor of Mother Baby Journal. These issues include, but are not limited to: selecting a topic and journal, collecting your research, referencing, copyright ownership, permission to use material of others, and the editing process. Questions are encouraged. Bring your ideas, outlines, or manuscripts and arrange for a private consultation with one of our editors.

GS101 Small is the New BIG: "Microtrends" and the Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes in Neonatal Nursing

Change, in nursing and neonatology, is occurring at expansive and accelerated rates of speed. Too, the fundamental dynamic of "how" and "why" we change is morphing. Ms. Johnson identifies some of the new insights into personal and organizational change "microtrends," and provides valuable applications for our professional practice settings.

GS102 Noninvasive Respiratory Support: Less is Better

Our speaker takes us through the evidence available on various techniques of delivery noninvasive ventilation. Improve your practice by learning about current and upcoming techniques and what needs to be considered to successfully ventilate infants using them.

GS103 The Late Preterm Infant

Three out of four preterm births in the U.S. occur between 34 and 36 weeks gestation. These "late preterm" or infants are more prone to problems related to delayed transition and overall immaturity. They have been shown to have hight health care costs, longer hospital stays, and more frequent rehospitalizations than an infant born at term. There is also growing concern about the predisposition of these late preterm infants to brain injury and adverse neurologic outcomes. Dr. Jain discusses the physiologic basis for higher morbidity and mortality in late preterm infants and presents management strategies to improve outcomes.

#111 SIRS and Multiple Organ Dysfunction: Are Neutrophils Really Our Friends?

The systemic inflammatory response that leads to coagulopathy, hypotension, decreased perfusion pressure to tissues and organs and that culminate in multiple organ dysfunction is presented in this workshop. Conventional management that targets the microorganism as well as novel/potential therapies that are directed toward the cellular response are discussed.

#112 State of the Art in Mechanical Ventilation

How do you avoid injuring the lungs of the infant you are trying to save? Key concepts involved in the genesis of ventilator-induced lung injury are explained. Our speaker emphasizes the importance of careful control of tidal volume and of distributing this tidal volume evenly throughout a uniformly aerated lung (the Open Lung Concept). Dr. Keszler describes are advantages and disadvantages of various modes of triggered ventilation and a summary of available literature. Also discussed are concepts of volume-targeted modes of ventilation with emphasis on prevention of ventilator-induced lung injury. Available data, including Dr. Keszler's recent work, are presented and clinical guidelines provided.

#113 The Evidence Is In: Human Milk Handling and Fortification Practices in the NICU

The use of human milk for feeding the premature infant is a well-established standard of care in the NICU. Practice, however, regarding the fortification and handling of human milk is less standardized across clinical sites. Our speaker focuses on the latest evidence and supporting practice in the use, handling, delivery and fortification of human milk in the NICU.

#114 Interventions to Optimize Pain Management in the Neonate (Rx=.25)

It is an accepted fact that newborns do feel pain. Dr. McGrath provides strategies to integrate both non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions into routine caregiving to decrease pain in high-risk infants in the NICU. Neuro-physiology and pathophysiology of pain are used as a basis for beginning this discussion. Integrating family into the process will also be a focus.

#115 Retinopathy of Prematurity

Dr. Blice presents an overview of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) from the perspective of the ophthalmologist. Normal retinal vascular development, development of ROP, exam findings, classification, existing treatment and emerging treatment are discussed.

#116 RSV Prophylaxis: It Should be Simple…Maybe? (Rx=.5)

RSV infection is the most common and serious respiratory infection in newborns and infants. There is prophylaxis available should all infants receive it? What are the successes and challenges of prophylactic medication? Come share your experiences and perspectives in this lively interactive workshop.

#121 The Dark Side of C-Sections

The number of births by cesarean sections has gone up dramatically in the last decade in the U.S. and worldwide. There is also a trend towards delivery of low risk or "no risk" mothers by Cesarean section, often at the mother's request. Concerns linger about the higher morbidity and mortality associated with operative delivery, both for the mother and the neonate. Our speaker presents the physiologic basis for delayed transition in the neonate, and discusses the pros and cons of Cesarean deliveries.

#122 The Black & White of X-Ray Interpretation

Learn a consistent approach to reading chest and abdominal x-rays. Dr. Darling presents an overview of x-ray interpretation, then try your hand at identifying specific common and not-so-common problems in our NICU patients. Find your inner-radiologist at this "how-to" workshop.

#123 TBD

#124 Portfolio Development: You are a Shining Star!

Ms. Thape describes the history of professional portfolios and the specific use in nursing. In addition, feel free to bring your own portfolio and she'll discuss the different components for your portfolio.

 

#125 Mechanisms of Perinatal Brain Cooling (Rx=.25)

The brain of the fetus and neonate is vulnerable to injury from insults such as hypoxia, reduced blood flow, hypoglycemia, infection, and trauma. This vulnerability is strongly influenced by gestational age and other factors including brain temperature. Dr. Johnston discusses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that distinguish patterns of injury associated with different insults. MRIs can also be used to predict developmental outcome. The cascade of steps that lead to brain injury is explained as well, and how these steps can be interrupted to protect the brain. Cooling of the brain and body has recently been shown to reduce brain injury in term infants with asphyxia.

#126 Connecting the Dots: Newborn Screening

Are you seeing dots before your eyes? Newborn screening programs have expanded over the years. Many institutions now screen for dozens of congenital conditions that if not detected and treated early could result in catastrophic health consequences, even death. Come find out what's behind all those little circles!

#131 Patient-Triggered Ventilation (repeat of 112)

#132 Oxidative Stress Injury in the Neonate

Oxidative stress injury results from an imbalance between the formation and neutralization of pro-oxidants in a number of cellular components. Various clinical processes seen in premature infants (inflammation, infection, immune cell activation, ischemia, reperfusion) can initiate and exacerbate this pathology. Our speaker introduces the concept of oxidative stress as it applies to the development of various clinical diseases seen the neonatal population.

#133 TBD

#134 Developmental Care: Using Evidence to Increase Your Competence

Becoming increasingly competent in the delivery of family-centered developmental caregiving requires keeping abreast of the newest evidence. This presentation provides strategies to integrate this evidence both at the bedside and within the health system of the NICU. Providing excellent care to infants and families is a balancing act that requires teamwork and collaboration among the caregiving team.

#135 Retinopathy of Prematurity (repeat of session #115)

#136 Stem Cell Primer

Dr. Mueller-Burke identifies controversies surrounding stem cell research. She presents information on embryonic and alternative sources of stem cells and examines the potential of stem cell research related to basic science and pharmacologic and transplantation applications.

GS201 Neonatal Apnea: State of the Science

Dr. Martin's presentation focuses on the physiologic and neurochemical mechanisms for neonatal apnea. These are the basis for understanding the different available therapeutic approaches of this widespread problem of preterm birth. An additional focus is on the potential consequences of apnea of prematurity: resultant episodic desaturation and how it affects neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes.

GS202 Neonatal Hypoglycemia: How Low is Too Low?

Dr. McGowan discusses the issues related to defining "hypoglycemia" in the newborn. Risk factors for neonatal hypoglycemia, limitations of current screening methods, and management strategies as well as data on hypoglycemic brain injury are also presented.

#211 Neural Regulation of the Developing Airway: Nitric Oxide (Rx=.25)

Dr. Martin's workshop focuses on the maturation of airway innervation in health and disease, addressing both contractile and relaxant weaknesses of airway smooth muscle and the role of nitric oxide (NO). This leads into a summary of clinical data defining a potential role for inhaled NO in decreasing morbidity in preterm infants. Greater understanding of airway regulation should provide insight into the high incidence of wheezing disorders in former preterm infants.

#212 The Neonatal Golden Hour

Evidence suggests that how we care for an infant in the first hour of life may play a major factor in long-term outcome. Ms. Marchesan discusses which practices make a difference and how can we deliver developmentally-friendly resuscitation and stabilization. Come and share your thoughts and experiences with other neonatal professionals.

#213 Genetics and Dysmorphology: Evolving Syndromes, New Technologies

This workshop focuses on the impact of new technologies in the field of genetics and dysmorphology. Dr. Rosenbaum discusses new syndromes of importance, molecular cytogenetic techniques that are revolutionizing diagnosis, and the role of prenatal diagnosis in the management of the malformed fetus and newborn. Specific case examples are given.

#214 Womb with a View: Redefining Care for the Baby with a Birth Defect

Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the prenatal and neonatal period. Perinatal diagnosis plays an important role that affect the outcome of a child with a congenital malformation. Nurses face a challenge to provide expert care across the continuum, from womb to NICU and beyond. Importantly, nurses play a pivotal rose in how a family accepts and copes with an infant with a birth defect. Current and future diagnostics as well as prenatal and postnatal interventions are discussed using a recently developed health care model.

#215 Anticonvulsant Pharmacotherapy (Rx=1.0)

Dr. Smith provides a practical approach to anticonvulsant use in the neonatal period. Pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters of old and new medications are reviewed. She explains current standards of therapy.

#216 Skin Care: State of the Science, Part I (Rx=.25)

Our speaker describes the anatomic and physiologic differences between premature, neonatal, and adult skin, as well as skin assessment. Evidence-based skin care practices in the areas of bathing, disinfectants, umbilical cord care, and adhesive use are discussed.

#221 BPD, Part 1 (Rx=.25)

Dr. Spitzer presents etiologic factors in the development of BPD and how our understanding of the disease has evolved during the past three decades. He also focuses on prenatal factors and the role of perinatal inflammatory disease as the foundation for our current approach to the treatment of BPD.

#222 GE Reflux in Preterm Infants: How to Diagnose and Manage It!

Our speaker focuses on the widespread use of antireflux pharmacotherapy in preterm infants, and the diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas surrounding this use. Potential criteria for therapy are addressed, as well as potential long-term morbidities ascribed to gastroesophageal reflux disease in early life. Studies are presented that address a potential relationship between apnea and reflux in preterm infants.

#223 Fluids and Electrolytes Balance in Transition to Extrauterine Life

Our speaker discusses fluid and electrolyte physiology in relation to facilitating transition to extrauterine life. A practical approach to the assessment and management of fluid balance is presented.

#224 Neonatal Lupus Syndrome: Skin Rash or Permanent Congenital Heart Block?

Neonatal lupus syndrome is a model of passively-acquired autoimmunity in which specific maternal antibodies cross the placenta. The cardiac conduction systems and skin share a common ectodermal origin, such that these maternal antibodies are associated with a transient rash and/or the development of congenital heart block in the fetus. Our speaker describes the etiology of neonatal lupus syndrome. Current management strategies are discussed in addition to innovative clinical tools to treat the disorder.

#225 Antibiotic Choices (Rx=1.0)

Dr. Smith discusses the most utilized antibiotic regimens in the NICU. She takes a closer look at how the choice of antibiotic affects nosocomial flora of the NICU. Our speaker describes how antibiotic therapy works, including synergy, the difference between -cidal and -static, time dependent killing effect, and concentration dependant effect.

#226 NNP Precepting: Assuring the Future of our Profession

Using videotaped case-based senerios, our speaker discusses common precepting dilemmas and their possible solutions. Ms. Kaminski also discusses the principles of clinical teaching and critical thinking development.

#231 BPD, Part 2

In this workshop, Dr. Spitzer highlights former and current approaches to the treatment of BPD. He examines the pharmacologic approaches, the pulmonary management, and the developmental and social aspects of BPD care.

#232 Hyperglycemia and the Newborn

Causes of hyperglycemia in term and preterm infants are described in this workshop. Issues in determining whether elevated blood glucose levels are physiologic or pathyophysiologic are addressed. Management of hyperglycemia in both term and preterm infants is also discussed.

#233 The Neonatal Golden Hour (repeat of #212)

#234 The Good, the Bad, and the Green: Neonatal Short Bowel Syndrome

Our speaker discusses the common causes and pathophysiology behind neonatal short bowel syndrome. She'll also explore the surgical and medical management of this complex disease.

#235 Kangaroo Care in the NICU: Keeping Abreast of the Changes for Premies

Do you want to deliver evidence-based neuroprotective and neuropromotional developmental care for your preterm patients? Our speaker presents the latest research findings of how nursing interventions can help you to do just that are presented. Sleep, brain complexity, and pain relief strategies are discussed.

#236 Skin Care: State of the Science, Part II (Rx=.25)

Skin maturation and control of transepidermal water loss in ELBW infants are discussed in detail by our speaker. Treatment for skin breakdown, diaper dermatitis, and intravenous infiltrates is also reviewed.

#301 Neonatal Care: Where Have We Come From and Where Are We Going?

Neonatal care has improved by leaps and bounds during its relatively brief existence. Dr. Darling explores the past, the present, and the future of neonatal care. Special attention is given to NICU new construction guidelines, the implications of family-centered care, and light and sound control on developmental outcome data.

#302 Proteomics and the Metabolomics: The Nature of Neonatal Medicine

Dr. Spitzer describes these exciting new areas of medicine which hold much promise for the early diagnosis of many common perinatal and neonatal clinical conditions. The technique of mass spectroscopy is described and how this technology will be used in the future management of the pregnant woman and the neonate. Our speaker focuses primarily on the high risk pregnancy and the NICU patient.

#303 TBD