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Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
Long-term morbidity of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Insights
Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia face higher mortality and ongoing health issues after hospital discharge. Close follow-up care is crucial for managing these chronic conditions and potentially preventing further complications.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal intensive care
- Pediatric pulmonology
- Long-term infant health outcomes
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a significant concern for infants in neonatal intensive care units.
- Understanding long-term outcomes for BPD survivors is essential for improving care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare perinatal and outcome factors of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia to matched controls.
- To identify key areas of ongoing morbidity and mortality in BPD survivors.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case-control study comparing 179 infants with BPD to 112 matched controls.
- Analysis of demographic, diagnostic, and therapeutic factors, categorized as pulmonary and nonpulmonary.
- Comparison of postdischarge death rates and ongoing health issues.
Main Results:
- BPD infants had a significantly higher postdischarge death rate (11.2%) compared to controls (0.9%).
- Ongoing morbidity was most prominent in health history, physical examination, growth, and vision.
- Neurodevelopmental and hearing abnormalities were slightly more frequent but not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia experience substantial postdischarge morbidity and mortality.
- These outcomes suggest a need for close, ongoing postdischarge observation and care.
- Preventable factors contributing to morbidity and mortality warrant further investigation.
Abstract:
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia occurred in 179 infants discharged from a regional neonatal intensive care unit between 1975 and 1982. Perinatal and outcome factors were compared for these study infants and a group of 112 controls matched for birth weight category and year of birth. There were multiple differences between study infants and controls in demographic, diagnostic, and therapeutic items, all of which were categorized as pulmonary items occurring before and after the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and nonpulmonary items. The postdischarge death rate was 11.2% in infants and 0.9% in control infants (P less than .001). Ongoing morbidity was most marked in the areas of health history, physical examination, growth, and vision. Neurodevelopmental abnormalities and hearing abnormalities occurred slightly more frequently in study infants than in controls but not significantly so. Major developmental abnormalities were less frequent in this population than has been the case in other follow-up studies in this area. This group of infants requires close postdischarge observation because ongoing morbidity and postdischarge mortality, part of which may be preventable, are frequent.
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