Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Anatomically Realistic Neonatal Heart Model for Use in Neonatal Patient Simulators
10:05

Anatomically Realistic Neonatal Heart Model for Use in Neonatal Patient Simulators

Published on: February 5, 2019

6.4K

Phosphatidylglycerol and neonatal mortality and morbidity

M J Whittle1, Anne I MacGillivray1, K P Hanretty1

  • 1a The Queen Mother's Hospital , Glasgow.

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology : the Journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
|February 27, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Detecting phosphatidylglycerol (PG) in preterm infants indicates mature lungs, reducing the need for respiratory support and serious complications like intraventricular hemorrhage. Absence of PG signals high risk for neonatal morbidity.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Perinatal Health
  • Respiratory Physiology

Background:

  • Neonatal intensive care has advanced, yet mortality and morbidity persist in very preterm infants.
  • Assessing fetal lung maturity is crucial for managing high-risk pregnancies and preterm births.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between phosphatidylglycerol (PG) presence and neonatal outcomes in preterm infants.
  • To evaluate the clinical significance of antenatal fetal lung maturity assessment using PG.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 168 infants born before 36 weeks gestation.
  • Analysis of amniotic fluid or pharyngeal aspirate for the presence of phosphatidylglycerol (PG).
  • Correlation of PG presence with requirements for ventilatory support and incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Main Results:

  • The presence of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was linked to a decreased need for ventilatory support.
  • Infants with detectable PG showed a reduced incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
  • Absence of PG was associated with a higher risk of significant neonatal morbidity.

Conclusions:

  • Antenatal assessment of fetal lung maturity, specifically the presence of PG, is a valuable predictor of neonatal outcomes.
  • Babies lacking PG are at increased risk, suggesting a need to review current assessment protocols.
  • Early identification of fetal lung immaturity via PG testing can guide clinical management and potentially reduce neonatal complications.

More Related Videos

Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography09:31

Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography

Published on: January 27, 2023

1.6K
Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice04:18

Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice

Published on: October 10, 2025

546

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Phosphoinositides and PIPs01:42

Phosphoinositides and PIPs

Phosphoinositides are a group of phospholipids containing a glycerol backbone with two fatty acid chains and a phosphate attached to a myoinositol sugar ring. The inositol head group extends into the cytoplasm, where it is modified by adding phosphate groups to form phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs.
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism01:28

Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Lipids also are sources of energy that power cellular processes. Like carbohydrates, lipids are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but these atoms are arranged differently. Most lipids are nonpolar and hydrophobic. Major types include fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids.
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane01:27

Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane

The ER synthesizes lipids for building cell membranes and performing cellular functions such as energy storage and signaling. The lipid synthesis machinery embedded in the ER membrane primarily collects all reactants from the cytosol. Following synthesis, the secretory pathway and the ER contact sites distribute these lipids to other cellular organelles. Additionally, the energy-rich triacylglycerides are transported from the ER via lipid droplets.
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Transcytosis of IgG01:15

Transcytosis of IgG

Transcytosis is the process in which molecules are internalized by endocytosis, transported across the cell, and released through exocytosis from the opposite end of the cell. Molecules such as insulin, immunoglobulins, and certain nutrients are transferred through the recycling endosomes by recycling and transcytosis.
IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...