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Chest wall motion in preterm infants using respiratory inductive plethysmography
R H Warren1, S M Horan, P K Robertson
1Dept of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, USA.
The European Respiratory Journal
|December 5, 1997
Summary
Preterm infants exhibit significantly greater chest wall and abdomen asynchrony during breathing compared to full-term infants. This study used respiratory inductive plethysmography to objectively assess preterm infant chest wall motion.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Respiratory mechanics
- Infant development
Background:
- Preterm infant thoracic structures differ from those of healthy full-term infants, potentially altering tidal breathing patterns.
- Objective bedside assessment of chest wall motion in preterm infants is needed for better understanding and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe chest wall motion in preterm infants (gestational age <37 weeks).
- To compare chest wall motion in preterm infants with that of healthy, full-term infants.
- To evaluate the utility of respiratory inductive plethysmography for bedside assessment.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-one preterm infants (mean postconceptional age 35.3 weeks) and a group of healthy, full-term infants were studied.
- Chest wall motion was assessed using a noninvasive, semiquantitatively calibrated respiratory inductive plethysmograph.
- Infants were studied in a quiet, awake, prone position to minimize disruption.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants showed a significantly greater mean phase angle (60.6 vs. 12.5 degrees) and laboured breathing index (1.35 vs. 1.01) compared to full-term infants (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.001, respectively).
- Ribcage contribution to breathing did not significantly differ between groups (25.5% vs. 36.3%, p = 0.11).
- A significant increase in ribcage and abdomen asynchrony was observed in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants demonstrate increased chest wall and abdominal asynchrony during tidal breathing.
- Respiratory inductive plethysmography is an effective, objective, and time-efficient method for assessing chest wall motion in preterm infants.