Changes in Lung Volume and Ventilation During Apnoea of Prematurity Using EIT

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Physiology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Apnoea of prematurity (AoP) is a common complication in preterm infants, affecting oxygenation.
• The impact of AoP on lung volume and ventilation distribution remains unclear.
• Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) offers continuous, bedside monitoring of lung volume changes in neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of central AoP on lung volume and ventilation distribution in preterm infants.
• To utilize EIT to analyze changes during and after apnoeic events.

Main Methods:

• EIT tracings were extracted from preterm infants in the CRADL project.
• A custom algorithm detected central AoP, followed by manual verification.
• EIT data were analyzed for relative end-expiratory lung impedance (EELI), tidal volume, and ventilation distribution pre-, during, and post-apnoea.

Main Results:

• 203 apnoeas were analyzed in 15 preterm infants.
• A significant drop in relative EELI was observed during apnoeas (p < 0.05).
• Tidal volume increased significantly to restore EELI to pre-apnoea levels (p < 0.05).
• No significant changes in regional ventilation distribution were detected post-apnoea.

Conclusions:

• Central AoP causes a significant decrease in EELI, which is restored by compensatory increases in tidal volume.
• EIT monitoring demonstrates that ventilation distribution remains unchanged after apnoeic events in preterm infants.