Retinopathy of prematurity (1) birth weight, gestational age and maximum PaCO2

The eyes of neonates who were premature or had been exposed to increased ambient oxygen from May 1979 to February 1985 were examined. Twenty out of 256 infants were found to have retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) of stage 3 or worse in at least one eye. Using uivariate statistics (chi-square analysis or the Wilcoxon test), the variables representing the maximum arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2), birth weight and gestational age were found to be significantly associated with ROP. It is recommended to maintain PaCO2 values under 50 mmHg, especially in less mature newborns (less than 1,300g in birth weight or 210 days of gestational age).