Related Experiment Videos
Oxygen desaturation complicates feeding in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia after discharge
L Singer1, R J Martin, S W Hawkins
1Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106.
Insights
Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) experience significant oxygen desaturation after oral feeding, even after hospital discharge. This post-feeding hypoxemia poses a risk to their growth and development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) survivors face risks including hypoxemia, impacting growth and neurodevelopment.
- Oral feeding can exacerbate pulmonary stress in infants with BPD post-discharge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate post-feeding oxygen saturation (SaO2) levels in infants with BPD compared to healthy controls.
- To identify factors contributing to desaturation in BPD infants during and after oral feeding.
Main Methods:
- Measured SaO2 via pulse oximetry in 11 BPD infants, 12 VLBW infants, and 23 term infants during home feeding.
- Compared SaO2 levels before, during, and after feeding across the three infant groups.
- Analyzed time spent with SaO2 <90% and <80% post-feeding.
Main Results:
- BPD infants showed significantly lower mean SaO2 after feeding (84% vs. 93% in controls).
- BPD infants spent more time with SaO2 <90% (64% vs. 27%) and <80% (37% vs. 4%) post-feeding.
- Desaturation correlated with larger feeding volumes and faster intake in BPD infants.
Conclusions:
- Post-feeding desaturation is a persistent issue for discharged BPD survivors.
- Oral feeding challenges pulmonary function in BPD infants, necessitating careful monitoring.
- Findings highlight the need for strategies to manage feeding-related hypoxemia in BPD.
Abstract:
Recurrent episodes of hypoxemia may affect the growth, cardiac function, neurologic outcome, and survival of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). As oral feeding might stress these infants by compromising pulmonary function even after hospital discharge, we measured oxygen saturation (SaO2) via pulse oximetry before, during the initial 10 minutes of, and immediately after oral feeding in 11 patients with BPD, 12 very low birth weight infants, and 23 healthy full-term infants. All infants with BPD had been previously discharged from the hospital after weaning from supplemental oxygen. Studies were done at a mean postconceptional age of 43 weeks while the infants were fed at home by one of their parents. Levels of SaO2 for the three groups were comparable before and during feeds. After feeding, the infants with BPD had significantly lower mean levels of SaO2 (84 +/- 8% [SD] vs 93 +/- 4% and 93 +/- 3%, respectively; P less than .01). They also spent more time after feeding with an SaO2 less than 90% (64 +/- 34% of time vs 27 +/- 33% for the very low birth weight and 22 +/- 20% for the term group; P less than .01) and greater time with an SaO2 less than 80% (37 +/- 28% vs 4 +/- 10% and 4 +/- 8%, respectively; P less than .01). Desaturation in infants with BPD was related to larger volume and faster oral intake during feeding. Thus, the data indicate that desaturation after feeding remains a recurrent problem for survivors of BPD after discharge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)