TSMU scientists took part in the conference Current Issues of Medical Care for Newborns
Regional Scientific and Practical Conference for Neonatologists of the Ternopil region Current Issues of Medical Care for Newborns took place on November 21st, 2017. The conference was dedicated to World Prematurity Day.
Administration of Ternopil State Medical University has invited guests from Poland: prof. Barbara Królak-Olejnik, Head of the Department of Neonatology, Wroclaw University of Medicine, and Dr. Agnieszka Jalowska, to participate in the conference.
Professor Barbara Królak-Olejnik
Dr. Agnieszka Jalowska
The conference took place in Ternopil Regional Children’s Hospital. Its chief physician, Dr. Hryhorii Korytskii in his welcoming address greeted his colleagues, emphasized the importance of this event, and expressed his hope for further cooperation between the neonatologists of Ternopil and Wroclaw.
The conference program was dedicated to discussions of important issues and critical problems in neonatology.
Professor Barbara Królak-Olejnik shared with Ternopil neonatologists the experience their Polish colleagues of care for prematurely born children in the intensive care unit, their early nursing with colostrum and breast milk. According to Dr. Królak-Olejnik, premature births are on the rise in Poland. There is a growing awareness of the value of breast milk for feeding of premature babies, since the basic composition of colostrum or maternal milk corresponds to the functional features of the gastrointestinal tract of preterm infants. Even a few drops of colostrum can be vital for a premature baby, while phase II milk is important for feeding infants with very low body weight.
In addition, Dr. Królak-Olejnik presented results of treating respiratory disorders in prematurely born children of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of Poland in accordance with 2016 European guidelines.
The report presented the results of a meta-analyzes on the effectiveness of non-invasive surfactant administration to prematurely born children, and subsequent with short-term and long-term outcomes. Non-invasive techniques such as LISA and INSURE are widely used in Europe, yet while they are being introduced in Poland, these methods are used rarely in Ukraine.
Dr. Agnieszka Jalowska shared the experience of the perinatal palliative care service in Wroclaw, the program RAZEM. This program supports parents in the most difficult moments of life, when they receive prenatal diagnosis of serious fetal disorders, or when the child is born with a developmental defect or genetic pathology. It is at this time that parents receive comprehensive care – medical, psychological, spiritual, and social.
From the medical standpoint, the parents are helped to understand the inadvisability of aggressive treatment approaches after the birth of the child. However, the child is not deprived of end-of-life comfort (skin to skin contact), feeding (breastfeeding, bottle), as well as treatment to relieve suffering caused by pain, convulsions, fever, or shortness of breath. Dr. Agnieszka Jalowska gave examples of feedback from the parents, revealing that such program of palliative care indeed matters to them.
Professor H.А. Pavlyshyn talked to the neonatologists about current European guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of sepsis in newborns. Today, the problem of neonatal sepsis remains germane in Europe as well as developing countries.
Prematurely born children contract sepsis 20 times more often than the ones with term birth. Dr. Pavlyshyn presented up-to-date definition of neonatal sepsis, diagnostic markers and management in cases of suspected neonatal infection in accordance with 2016 recommendations.
In addition to participating in the conference, our Polish guests met with TSMU vice-rector for research prof. I.M. Klisch, and the heads of medical institutions such as Ternopil regional children’s clinical hospital and the regional perinatal center Mother and Child. They discussed prospects for further cooperation in scientific and practical directions.