The Incubator

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In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review the 24-month follow-up of the BeNeDuctus trial, which compared expectant management with early ibuprofen for PDA in infants born before 28 weeks. Survival without neurodevelopmental impairment was identical in both groups, at 49%. Ben places the findings alongside Baby-OSCAR, the PDA trial, TRIOCAPI, and SMART-PDA, and explains why a neutral result does not mean no PDA should ever be treated. The conversation then turns to how targeted neonatal echocardiography and lung ultrasound are changing bedside PDA assessment, and previews an upcoming hemodynamics series with Dr. Gabriel Altit.
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Long-Term Outcomes of Expectant Management versus Early Ibuprofen for Patent Ductus Arteriosus: 24-Month Follow-Up of the BeNeDuctus Trial. Apers WMJ, Hundscheid T, Kooi EMW, Onland W, Vijlbrief D, Steiner K, Donders R, Mulder AL, de Boode WP; BeNeDuctus Trial Investigators.J Pediatr. 2026 Sep 17;299:115292. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2026.115292. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42637114 
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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!

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Feeding in the NICU is rarely one person's job, yet the language around it changes from nurse to therapist to physician to parent. In this Tech Tuesday episode, Ben and Daphna sit down with Lisa Kleinz and Erin Lesage of Dr. Brown's Medical to unpack feeding together, a philosophy built on team approach, family at the center, and feeding that begins on day one rather than at first bottle. They discuss what separates cue-based feeding from a truly standardized Infant-Driven Feeding® Program, the outcomes reported so far, and why nearly half of NICU graduates still struggle with feeding at home. A practical conversation about culture, consistency, and shared language.
https://www.drbrownsmedical.com/infant-driven-feeding-program/infant-driven-feeding-program-about/
Support the show
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!

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Ben sits down with Dr. Shetal Shah and AAP federal advocacy director Stephanie Glier to unpack HR1, the sweeping reconciliation bill that could cut $1.15 trillion in federal Medicaid spending over the next decade. With 40% of US births and up to 65% of NICU graduates covered by Medicaid, the stakes for neonatology are enormous. Shetal and Stephanie break down state directed payments, provider taxes, shortened retroactive coverage windows, and new work requirements, explaining how administrative friction alone could push families out of coverage. They also offer a clear playbook: connect with your AAP state chapter, share bedside stories with policymakers, and don't be more intimidated by a congressional office than by a resuscitation.
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AAP Advocacy page: https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/?srsltid=AfmBOoqcnlKDsPZkpNg6z6U7OlOuBqUiuCtWHrUPmRGzfqDiQEl-vf7s
Myers CN, Beck AF. H.R. 1’s Medicaid cuts threaten children’s health. Health Affairs Forefront. January 20, 2026. Accessed August 28, 2026. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/h-r-1-s-medicaid-cuts-threaten-children-s-health
Little J, Kohler A. How H.R. 1 cuts and changes to Medicaid played out in 2026 state legislative sessions (Part 2). Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. July 2, 2026. Accessed August 28, 2026. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/07/02/how-h-r-1-cuts-and-changes-to-medicaid-played-out-in-2026-state-legislative-sessions-part-2/
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. Implications of H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. 2026. Accessed August 28, 2026. https://www.amcp.org/H.R.1
Park E. New CMS guidance on H.R. 1's restrictions of state directed payments. Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. February 4, 2026. Accessed August 28, 2026. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/02/04/new-cms-guidance-on-h-r-1s-restrictions-of-state-directed-payments/
Mudumala A, Mohamed M, Tolbert J, Burns A. The impact of H.R. 1 on two Medicaid eligibility rules. KFF. September 22, 2025. Accessed August 28, 2026. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/the-impact-of-h-r-1-on-two-medicaid-eligibility-rules/
Support the show
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!

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This week on The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna dig into four studies reshaping bedside decisions. They open questioning whether routine DAT screening for ABO and RhD incompatibility still earns its place, finding transcutaneous bilirubin alone predicts phototherapy need just as well. Next, a Swedish national registry of over two million births links missed intramuscular vitamin K, and rising oral substitution, to a near-doubling of bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage risk. Ben then presents the PHILODENDRON pilot trial out of Milan, testing initial delivery-room CPAP of 5 versus 8 cmH2O in infants under 30 weeks, feasible and safe, but not yet enough to settle the physiology question. Daphna closes Journal Club with a SART-linked study tying IVF conception to significantly higher odds of VACTERL association. The week wraps with Ben and Eli on Neo News, unpacking a study showing birth certificates miss nearly 40% of true NICU admissions, with troubling racial disparities.
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Utility of DAT in Low-Risk Neonates With ABO or RhD Incompatibility. Tsai TL, Ma T, Nester T.Pediatrics. 2026 Sep 1;158(3):e2026076989. doi: 10.1542/peds.2026-076989.PMID: 42642037
Vitamin K Prophylaxis in Newborns and Bleeding in Infancy. Simatou E, Tsamantioti E, Hallström A, Stephansson O, Razaz N, Persson M, Bolk J.JAMA Pediatr. 2026 Sep 1;180(9):995-1004. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.2606.PMID: 42440325
Initial CPAP of 5 versus 8 cmH2O during delivery room stabilisation of very preterm infants: the PHILODENDROOM pilot randomised trial. Cavigioli F, Bresesti I, Castoldi F, Gatto S, Lupo E, Rossi S, La Verde A, Bianchi S, Meneghin F, Viaroli F, Pivetti V, Manfredini V, Cannata G, Bastrenta P, Fontana P, Stucchi I, Daniele I, Chiera M, Lista G.Eur J Pediatr. 2026 Aug 17;185(9):673. doi: 10.1007/s00431-026-07322-6.PMID: 42608615 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
In Vitro Fertilization and VACTERL Birth Defects. Tark JY, Richard MA, Schraw JM, Fisher SC, Betancourt D, Stone SL, Forestieri NE, Baker VL, Cameron K, Eisenberg ML, Belva F, Lu Y, Williams CL, Sutcliffe AG, Lupo PJ, Luke B.JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Aug 3;9(8):e2629355. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29355.PMID: 42616500 Free PMC article.
Birth certificate data substantially misrepresent actual NICU admissions, including among most vulnerable. Hughes CS, Lorch SA, Schmitt S, Passarella M, Phibbs CS.J Perinatol. 2026 Jul;46(7):1307-1312. doi: 10.1038/s41372-026-02726-6. Epub 2026 May 27.PMID: 42204354
Support the show
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!

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Ben and Eli dig into a Journal of Perinatology study that asks a deceptively simple question: can we trust birth certificate data to tell us how many babies actually need NICU care? The answer, it turns out, is no. Nearly 40% of NICU admissions are missing from birth certificates, with the biggest gaps among full-term and late-preterm infants, and troubling racial disparities in which admissions get missed. Ben and Eli unpack what this means for how states and hospitals allocate resources, why underreporting could be quietly starving NICUs of funding and attention, and why pairing solid epidemiologic data with individual bedside stories may be the most effective way to make the case for better-resourced newborn care.
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Birth certificate data substantially misrepresent actual NICU admissions, including among most vulnerable. Hughes CS, Lorch SA, Schmitt S, Passarella M, Phibbs CS.J Perinatol. 2026 Jul;46(7):1307-1312. doi: 10.1038/s41372-026-02726-6. Epub 2026 May 27.PMID: 42204354
Support the show
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!