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Updated: May 3, 2026
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Diagnostic Strategies and Biomarker Development for Comprehensive Lung Function Analysis
Published on: August 9, 2024
[Assessment of pulmonary function in a follow-up of premature infants: our experience]
F Ciuffini1, O Marijke1, A Lavizzari1
1NICU, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano.
Insights
Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) can reliably assess infant lung function at the bedside. This technology aids in understanding respiratory failure and improving treatment for conditions like bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal respiratory medicine
- Pediatric pulmonology
- Medical technology assessment
Context:
- Respiratory diseases are a significant cause of illness in neonates, particularly preterm infants.
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a relevant long-term complication of prematurity.
- Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) are not routinely used in neonates and infants despite their potential.
Purpose:
- To highlight the current limitations in assessing infant pulmonary function.
- To introduce reliable, non-invasive bedside methods for PFTs in newborns and infants.
- To emphasize the importance of accurate lung function assessment in managing neonatal respiratory diseases.
Summary:
- Modern non-invasive, bedside Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) offer reliable assessment of lung function in newborns and infants.
- These methods allow for continuous monitoring and robust data management, comparable to cooperative adult patients.
- The technology enables a better understanding of respiratory failure mechanisms from bench to bedside.
Impact:
- Improved diagnosis and understanding of respiratory failure in infants.
- Enhanced treatment strategies and monitoring for neonatal lung diseases, including BPD.
- Facilitates better long-term follow-up and management of pulmonary conditions in preterm infants.
Abstract:
Respiratory diseases are a major cause of morbidity in neonates, especially preterm infants; a long-term complication of prematurity such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is particularly relevant today. The exact role of the Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) in this area is not yet well defined; the PFT in newborns and infants--in contrast to what happens in uncooperative children and adults--are routinely used only in a few centers. The assessment of pulmonary function in newborns and infants, however, is nowadays possible with the same reliability that in cooperative patients with the possibility to extend the assessment of polmonary function from bench to bed. The assessment of pulmonary function must be carried out with non invasive and safe methods, at the bedside, with the possibility of continuous monitoring and providing adequate calculation and management of data. The ability to assess lung function helps to define the mechanisms of respiratory failure, improving the treatment and its effects and is therefore a useful tool in the follow-up of newborn and infant with pulmonary disease.
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