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Echocardiographic correlates of survival in severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia
M E McConnell1, S R Daniels, E F Donovan
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.
Insights
Left ventricular size in echocardiograms may predict survival in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Smaller left ventricular dimensions in non-survivors suggest its prognostic value.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Neonatology
- Pulmonary Medicine
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in infants.
- Predicting survival in severe BPD is crucial for clinical management.
- Echocardiography is a non-invasive tool for assessing cardiac function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify echocardiographic predictors of survival in infants with severe BPD.
- To correlate cardiac dimensions and pulmonary artery pressure with outcomes.
- To evaluate the prognostic value of left and right ventricular measurements.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of echocardiograms from 27 infants with severe BPD (1982-1986).
- Echocardiograms categorized into early, intermediate, and late periods.
- Comparison of echocardiographic parameters between survivors and non-survivors.
Main Results:
- Right ventricular size did not differ between survivors and non-survivors.
- Nonsurvivors showed significantly smaller left ventricular dimensions in intermediate and late periods.
- Pulmonary artery pressure estimates did not differ until the late period.
Conclusions:
- Left ventricular internal dimensions may serve as a valuable predictor of survival in severe BPD.
- Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular size offers prognostic insights.
- Further research can refine the use of echocardiography for BPD outcome prediction.
Abstract:
To define potential echocardiographic correlates of survival in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a retrospective analysis of echocardiograms was performed. Between 1982 and 1986, 27 infants with severe BPD had at least two echocardiographic studies. Echocardiograms were divided into early (less than 30 days of age), intermediate (45 to 120 days of age), and late (more than 145 days of age) periods, and survivors were compared with patients who subsequently died of causes related to BPD. Right ventricular size did not differ between survivors and nonsurvivors in any of the periods. Nonsurvivors had significantly smaller left ventricular internal dimensions than survivors in both the middle and late periods. Noninvasive estimates of pulmonary artery pressure (the right ventricular pre-ejection period/right ventricular ejection time ratio) did not differ between survivors and nonsurvivors until the late period. These data suggest that measurements of left ventricular size may have value in predicting survival of infants with severe BPD.