The division is engaged in the following scholarly activities.

Research projects

  • Smart Monitor for the NICU: Adaptive System for the Detection and Prediction of Apnea, Desaturation and Bradycardia in Premature and Low Birth Weight Infants. Coulter Biomedical Accelerator at the University of Missouri.  $104,870 grant. Dates: 7/1/19 to present
  • NICU Automatic Oxygen Control with Parameter and Disturbance Estimation.  NIH grant $414,149. Dates:  4/10/20 to present
    Hou X, Faqeeh A, Amjad R, Pardalos J, Fales R.
    Clinical Evaluation of an Automatic Oxygen Control System for Premature Infants Receiving High-Flow Nasal Cannula for Respiratory Support: A Pilot Study
    JMed Device. 2022 Sep 1;16(3):031005.
    PMID: 35646226
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35646226/
  • MedImmune, Inc. – A Phase 3 Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of MEDI8897, a Monoclonal Antibody With an Extended Half-life Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in Healthy Late Preterm and Term Infants (MELODY).  Protocol No. D5290C00004.  Multicenter trial October, 2019 to present.           
  • MedImmune, Inc. – A Phase 2/3 Randomized, Double-blind, Palivizumab-controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety of MEDI8896, a Monoclonal Antibody With an Extended Half-life Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in High-risk Children (MEDLEY).  Protocol No. D5290C00005. Multicenter trial October, 2019 to present.

Completed research projects

  • Understanding umbilical venous catheter insertion practices through a prospective multicenter observational study
    Patel S, Shannon D, Eldridge W, El-Ters N, Hanford J, Walker T, Scheer A, Jones E, Linwood K, Aragon N, Dunscombe L, Gerbes J, Srinivasan N, Vachharajani A. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2021 Feb 2:1-6. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2021.1874908. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33530795
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33530795/
  • Ultrasound Guided Prospective Screening for Spinal Dysraphism in Offspring of Mothers With Pregestational Diabetes: A Pilot Study
    Saivaroon Gajagowni, Danielle Mazuru-Witten, Jessica Hegstrom, Jean Goodman, Akshaya J Vachharajani
    PMID: 37792458
    DOI: 10.1002/jum.16327
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37792458/

Completed Quality Improvement Projects

  • Reducing intravenous catheter insertion in late preterm neonates
    Project leaders: Ms. Jennifer Hanford NNP and Dr. Olugbemisola Obi, MD
    The project aims to reduce the need for IV catheter insertion and parenteral nutrition in late preterm infants.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38241696/

Quality Improvement Projects

Debriefing after Code Events in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital

Project Leader: Dr. Danielle Bichianu, MD

A debrief is an interactive discussion conducted by a multidisciplinary team following an event to review actions and processes to promote learning and improve future performance.

The Debriefing after Code Events in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital is a quality improvement initiative to improve post-event debriefings to inform quality improvement (QI) interventions.

The events debriefed are:

  1. All code events in the NICU
  2. Delivery room resuscitations of all neonates born at less than 30 weeks gestational age
  3. Unanticipated death

The debrief is anonymous and no personal identifiers are recorded. It is conducted in a safe environment and all team members are encouraged to express their opinions.

A debrief form is completed after each event and returned to the NICU charge nurse. The debrief form is not part of the medical records.

This QI project is part of the QI initiative by the Children’s Hospital Network Consortium (CHNC). The CHNC is a collaborative of 34 level IV NICUs in the US and Canada dedicated to improving care and outcomes for infants in Children’s Hospital NICU’s through sharing of data, information and ideas for benchmarking, research, and development of safety and quality improvement initiatives

Reduction of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Project Leader: Dr. Anjali Anders, MD

The project aims to increase the use of flexitrunk and commencing bubble CPAP in the delivery room in infants less than 32 weeks of gestational age at birth with reduction in the incidence of severe BPD.

Abstract titled “Use of High-Fidelity Simulation to Drive Quality Improvement: Implementation of Bubble CPAP (BCPAP) in the Neonatal Resuscitation Room” was presented at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition 2021, awarded MOC Part 4 credit.

View the AAP 2021-BCPAP-Sim poster

Improving Evaluation and Management of Early Onset Sepsis

Project Leaders: Dr. Anjali Anders, MD and Kisha Linwood, NNP

The project aims to reduce unnecessary sepsis evaluations and antibiotic use in infants >/= 35 weeks gestational age at birth through the use of evidenced-based best practice and implementation of the sepsis calculator.

Abstract titled “Improving the Evaluation and Management of Early Onset Sepsis in the Neonatal ICU (NICU) using QI Methodology” was presented at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition 2021, awarded MOC Part 4 credit.

View the AAP 2021-EOS poster

Improving Care of Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Project Leaders: Dr. Anjali Anders and Amy Lade, RN

Our institution is part of the Missouri Hospital Association-NAS QI Collaborative, which aims to improve care of infants with neonatal abstinence (or opiate withdrawal) syndrome. The goals of this QI include transition to Eat, Sleep Console method of assessment and management of the newborn; increasing non-pharmacological care; keeping mother-infant dyad intact; and validated screening of the mother for substance use disorders to provide early diagnosis and management of substance use disorders prenatally.