Abstract
ABSTRACT: Infants who have had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Because failure of the cardiorespiratory response to hypoxia is suggested to play a key role in sudden infant death syndrome, we tested the hypothesis that infants who have had BPD have a reduced respiratory chemoreflex response to hypoxia. We examined the reflex respiratory responses to breath-by-breath alternations in fractional inspired oxygen concentration in eight infants who had had BPD (mean gestation = 27 wk, mean postnatal age = 93 d) who were no longer on supplemental oxygen and compared the responses with those of 12 preterm infants who had not required supplemental oxygen or been mechanically ventilated since birth (mean gestation = 30 wk, mean postnatal age = 38 d). For test runs we alternated fractional inspired oxygen concentration through two gas delivery lines between 0.21 and 0.16 on a breath-by-breath basis, and for control runs we alternated the inspirate between the two gas lines with a fractional inspired oxygen concentration of 0.21 in each. Respiration was measured using inductance plethysmography. infants with BPD showed no significant differences between test and control responses for any respiratory variable. In contrast, all respiratory variables in the preterm infants showed test responses significantly greater than control. We speculate that the “blunted” chemoreflex respiratory response seen in infants with BPD may predispose them to subsequent respiratory failure, but we do not know which component of the chemoreflex is impaired.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Calder, N., Williams, B., Smyth, J. et al. Absence of Ventilatory Responses to Alternating Breaths of Mild Hypoxia and Air in Infants Who Have Had Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Implications for the Risk of Sudden Infant Death. Pediatr Res 35, 677–681 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199406000-00011
Received:
Accepted:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199406000-00011
This article is cited by
-
Respiratory responses to hypoxia during rest and exercise in individuals born pre-term: a state-of-the-art review
European Journal of Applied Physiology (2022)
