Established severe BPD: is there a way out? Change of ventilatory paradigms

• Improved survival of extremely preterm newborn infants has increased the number of infants at risk for developingbronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Despite efforts to prevent BPD, many of these infants still develop severe BPD (sBPD) andrequire long-term invasive mechanical ventilation. The focus of research and clinical management has been on the prevention ofBPD, which has had only modest success. On the other hand, research on the management of the established sBPD patient hasreceived minimal attention even though this condition poses large economic and health problems with extensive morbidities andlate mortality. Patients with sBPD, however, have been shown to respond to treatments focused not only on ventilatory strategiesbut also on multidisciplinary approaches where neurodevelopmental support, growth promoting strategies, and aggressivetreatment of pulmonary hypertension improve their long-term outcomes. In this review we will try to present a physiology-basedventilatory strategy for established sBPD, emphasizing a possible paradigm shift from acute efforts to wean infants at all costs to amore chronic approach of stabilizing the infant. This chronic approach, herein referred to as chronic phase ventilation, aims atallowing active patient engagement, reducing air trapping, and improving ventilation-perfusion matching, while providingsufficient support to optimize late outcomes.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Pediatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Pediatrics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Pediatrics

Perinatology

and Child Health

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)