Related Experiment Videos
Cardiopulmonary exercise performance in prematurely born children
1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Children's Hospital of Winnipeg, Canada.
Pediatric Research
|May 17, 2000
Summary
Children born prematurely have lower peak oxygen uptake (VO2) due to lean body mass, not cardiopulmonary limitations. Their exercise ventilation differs from term-born peers, impacting breathing regulation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Exercise Physiology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Children born prematurely often exhibit reduced peak oxygen uptake (VO2) compared to term-born peers.
- This deficit is frequently attributed to ventilatory limitations during exercise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare exercise ventilation and cardiac output in childhood survivors of prematurity-related lung disease with controls.
- To identify the underlying reasons for diminished peak VO2 in this population.
- To describe and compare the ventilatory response to incremental exercise.
Main Methods:
- Pulmonary function tests and progressive exercise tests were conducted on 32 children (8-9 years old).
- Cardiac output and physiologic dead space were measured during submaximal exercise in 15 participants.
- Results were compared to age- and sex-matched, term-born control children.
Main Results:
- Prematurely born children showed lower peak VO2, correlated with lean body mass.
- Heart rate-VO2 relationship and stroke volume were comparable to controls.
- Children with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia or hyaline membrane disease exhibited increased exercise hyperpnea (higher breathing frequency) and lower end-tidal PCO2.
Conclusions:
- Reduced peak VO2 in prematurely born children is primarily predicted by lean body mass, not cardiopulmonary factors.
- Ventilation does not appear to limit exercise performance in this group.
- Breathing regulation during exercise seems to differ between prematurely born and term-born children.