Position and ventilatory response to added dead space in prematurely born infants

Harish Rao, Tolulope Saiki, Francesca Landolfo, Adam P R Smith, Simon Hannam, Gerrard F Rafferty, Anthony D Milner, Anne Greenough

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: Prematurely born infants are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) if slept prone. Working Hypothesis: Prematurely born infants would have an impaired response to an added dead space and lower respiratory muscle strength in the prone compared to the supine position. Study design: Prospective study Patient-Subject Selection: Twenty-five infants, median gestational age of 30 (range 26-32) weeks. Methodology: The infants were studied supine and prone at a median of 36 weeks postmenstrual age. Breath by breath minute volume was measured at baseline and after a dead space was incorporated into the breathing circuit; the time constant of the response was calculated. The maximum inspiratory occlusion pressure generated (MIOP.) and the pressure generated over the first 100 msec (P-0.1) during airway occlusion were assessed. Results: The median time constant was longer (26 (range 8-106) sec vs. 22 (range 6-92) sec (P = 0.045)) and the median MIOP (P = 0.001) and P-0.1 (P=0.003) were lower in the prone compared to the supine position. Conclusion: Prematurely born infants have a dampened response to tube breathing and reduced respiratory muscle strength in the prone compared to the supine position, which may contribute to their increased vulnerability to SIDS in the prone position. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:387-391. (C) 2009 Wiley Liss, Inc.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)387 - 391
Number of pages5
JournalPediatric Pulmonology
Volume44
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2009

Keywords

  • Respiratory Function Tests
  • Infant, Low Birth Weight
  • Supine Position
  • Humans
  • Gestational Age
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Premature
  • Muscle Strength
  • Equipment Design
  • Prone Position
  • Prospective Studies
  • Respiratory Dead Space
  • Respiratory Muscles
  • Adaptation, Physiological

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Position and ventilatory response to added dead space in prematurely born infants'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this