The Incubator #352 - 📑 Journal Club - The Complete Episode from September 14th 2025
In this week’s Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review several recent neonatal studies with direct implications for practice.
They begin with the BORN trial from Italy, which investigated whether transfusing preterm infants with cord blood–derived red blood cells, rather than adult donor blood, could reduce severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). While the intention-to-treat analysis showed no difference, per-protocol findings suggest potential benefits that warrant larger trials.
Next, they review a large international cohort study of outcomes in infants born at 22–23 weeks, highlighting striking variability in survival and morbidity across networks, with Japan showing the highest survival rates.
The EBNeo segment features Dr. Gabriel Altit discussing an Indian randomized trial comparing norepinephrine vs. dopamine as first-line therapy for neonatal septic shock. Although primary outcomes were similar, norepinephrine showed some favorable metabolic and perfusion markers.
The hosts then cover a delivery room resuscitation study identifying expiratory tidal volumes of 4–5 ml/kg as key for successful lung aeration, a Canadian trial of atropine for neonatal intubation, and a retrospective study from Alabama on optimal timing and frequency of pulmonary hypertension screening in BPD.
The episode concludes with a case report on the use of continuous glucose monitoring in a neonate with congenital hyperinsulinism.
As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.
Enjoy!