The Incubator's Journal Club
The Incubator’s Journal Club is a weekly podcast dedicated to reviewing the latest evidence published in peer-reviewed journals in neonatology and perinatal medicine. Each episode breaks down important studies in newborn and perinatal care, with a clear focus on methodology, key findings, and real-world clinical impact. Designed for clinicians, nurses, and trainees, this series highlights research that meaningfully informs bedside practice and clinical decision-making. It is an efficient and reliable way to stay current with the most relevant and practice-changing evidence in neonatal care.
Episodes
163 episodes
#453 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Should We Treat the PDA Based on Size Alone? (SMART PDA Trial)
In this Journal Club, Ben and Daphna dig into two new papers on PDA management in our smallest patients. First, the SMART-PDA pilot RCT from Souvik Mitra and colleagues, which uses comprehensive hemodynamic screening to selectively treat high-v...
#450 - [Journal Club] - 🫀 From The Heart - Is Dopamine Still Defensible as First-Line for Neonatal Septic Shock?
In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, Adrianne and Nim examine whether norepinephrine outperforms dopamine as a first-line vasoactive agent in neonates with fluid-refractory septic shock. The primary outcome, shock reversal at 30 mi...
#450 - [Journal Club] - 🫀 From The Heart - Does Early Hydrocortisone Actually Move the Needle in Fluid-Refractory Shock?
In this double-blind randomized controlled trial from northern India, Nim and Adrianne review whether early hydrocortisone reduces 14-day all-cause mortality in preterm infants with fluid-refractory shock. The primary outcome showed no statisti...
#450 - [Journal Club] - 🫀From The Heart - When Nitric Oxide Fails: Is the Left Ventricle the Culprit in Septic Preterm Infants?
In this retrospective single-center study from Toronto, Adrianne and Nim explore the echo findings of preterm infants with septic shock and hypoxemic respiratory failure. Contrary to the common assumption that elevated pulmonary vascular resist...
#447 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Is a Five-Day Antibiotic Course Enough to Treat UTIs in the NICU?
Is five days of antibiotics enough to treat a urinary tract infection in a NICU infant? In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a single-center study from Nationwide Children's Hospital examining adherence and safety of a five-day a...
#447 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Does Extended CPAP Reduce Intermittent Hypoxemia in Stable Preterm Infants?
What happens to intermittent hypoxemia when you keep a stable preterm infant on CPAP for two extra weeks? In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a secondary analysis from the Journal of Pediatrics by Mamidi and McEvoy. Among 95 inf...
#447 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Are we missing UTIs in neonates hospitalized for unexplained jaundice?
In this Journal Club episode, Daphna reviews a retrospective cohort study from Istanbul examining clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound factors associated with UTI in neonates hospitalized for unexplained hyperbilirubinemia. Among 96 term and ne...
#447 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Is phototherapy doing more harm than good in very preterm infants?
In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a nationwide Swedish cohort study examining the association between phototherapy duration and neonatal outcomes in very preterm infants (22 to 31 weeks). The study’s primary outcome, late neon...
#445 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Are we missing dysphagia in very preterm infants before they leave the NICU?
How often are we missing dysphagia in our most vulnerable NICU patients? In this episode of Journal Club, Daphna reviews a retrospective cohort study from the Journal of Perinatology examining the incidence and risk factors of dysphagia confirm...
#445 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Does an exclusive human milk diet improve growth in very low birth weight infants?
Japan has some of the best survival rates for extremely preterm infants in the world, yet feeding practices there look very different from what many of us are used to. In this episode of Journal Club, Ben reviews the JASMINE trial, a multicente...
#445 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Can a few drops of breast milk in a preterm infant's nose actually improve cerebral oxygenation?
Could putting a few drops of breast milk in a preterm infant's nose actually improve cerebral oxygenation? In this episode of Journal Club, Daphna reviews a randomized controlled trial from the European Journal of Pediatrics investigating the p...
#445 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Can symptom-based dosing cut hospitalization time for babies with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome?
One infant is diagnosed with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome every 27 minutes, and rates are rising. In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review the Optimized NOW randomized clinical trial, a landmark multicenter study published ...
#442 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Does combining EEG and MRI improve neurodevelopmental prognostication in preterm infants?
In this episode of Journal Club, we wrap up a marathon recording session with a deep dive into the world of neonatal neuroprognostication. Daphna reviews a systematic review and meta-analysis from Pediatric Neurology that evaluates whether comb...
#442 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Is a low Apgar score more concerning than a low umbilical pH in preemies?
Ben kicks things off with a major career update before we dive into a critical study from JAMA Network Open. We explore the predictive value of the five minute Apgar score when combined with umbilical artery pH in very preterm infants. While th...
#442 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Does 24 hour in house staffing decrease physician productivity metrics?
Is your NICU considering the shift to 24 hour in house attending coverage? In this episode of Journal Club, we explore a provocative brief communication from the Journal of Perinatology. Ben and Daphna discuss the impact of moving from home cal...
#442 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Does NIRS guided treatment improve clinical outcomes for extremely preterm infants?
In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna dive into the results of the NIRTURE trial, recently published in JAMA Network Open. Building on the lessons of SafeBoosC 3 , the NIRTURE investigators aimed to reduce the burden of cerebral hypox...
#434 - [Journal Club] - 📌 LISA and Caffeine Together: What Do the Two-Year Outcomes Actually Show?
In this Journal Club episode, Ben reviews a secondary analysis of the CALI trial, published in JAMA Network Open, examining two-year neurodevelopmental and pulmonary outcomes in preterm infants who received early caffeine combined with LISA ver...
#434 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Could Intranasal Breast Milk Be the Next Adjunct Therapy for HIE?
In this Journal Club episode, Daphna presents the F-NeoBright trial — a pilot feasibility and safety study out of Hungary exploring intranasal fresh breast milk administration in neonates with moderate to severe HIE undergoing therapeutic hypot...
#434 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Can Ultrasound Help Us Better Identify Surgical NEC?
In this Journal Club episode, Ben takes the lead and reviews a prospective cohort pilot study from the Archives of Disease in Childhood examining whether combining abdominal ultrasound with plain radiography can improve surgical risk stratifica...
#434 - [Journal Club] - 📌 AAP update on therapeutic hypothermia for neonates with HIE
In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna dive into the American Academy of Pediatrics' February Clinical Report on Therapeutic Hypothermia for Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. Daphna, who presented this paper at the Florida Neonata...
#431 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Can Retinal Images Predict BPD and Pulmonary Hypertension?
In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna explore an exciting new frontier in neonatology: oculomics. Reviewing a recent paper from JAMA Ophthalmology, they discuss how deep learning models applied to routine ROP screening images can predict...
#431 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Rethinking the Link Between BPD Grades and Pulmonary Hypertension
In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a pivotal paper from the Journal of Pediatrics led by the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Network (PPHNet). The study explores invasive hemodynamic metrics and long-term outcomes in infant...
#431 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Should We Stop Routine Car Seat Testing for Preterm Infants?
In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a systematic review and meta-analysis from JAMA Network Open questioning the clinical value of predischarge car seat tolerance screening (CSTS). Driven by data suggesting that testing does not...
#431 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Prophylactic hydrocortisone to improve BPD-free survival?
In this Daily Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a massive Swedish national cohort study from JAMA Network Open examining early prophylactic hydrocortisone in extremely preterm infants. They discuss the targeted regimens used, differen...
#410 - [Journal Club] - 📌 Should We Increase Caffeine Dosing for Extremely Preterm Infants?
In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a retrospective cohort study exploring the effects of higher caffeine maintenance dosing on BPD and neurodevelopmental outcomes. They discuss the transition from the standard CAP trial dose...