Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
What is it?
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a lung disorder that may affect infants who receive extensive oxygen therapy or are on a ventilator for a long period of time.
Who gets it?
Premature infants are most at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia because their immature lungs require high concentrations of oxygen and ventilator support for breathing. Premature infants are most likely to have respiratory distress syndrome, congenital heart disease, or other illnesses that are treated with oxygen or ventilator therapy. However, full-term newborns with such disorders as meconium aspiration (when the fetus inhales intestinal material before birth) or persistent pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) can also develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Both conditions require oxygen treatment.
What causes it?
The lung tissue is injured when the high pressure needed to inflate the lungs and the high concentration of oxygen stretches the air spaces. Injury can also be caused if a tube is placed in the trachea to deliver oxygen. The injured lung tissue becomes inflamed, which eventually leads to scarring.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia include rapid breathing and bluish skin color. Babies who have had bronchopulmonary dysplasia are at greater risk for developing recurrent respiratory infections, such as pneumonia.
How is it diagnosed?
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is diagnosed through a chest x-ray, which reveals inflamed lung tissue, and arterial blood gas, a test that measures the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. Low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide show that the lungs are not functioning well.
What is the treatment?
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia can range from mild to severe. In mild cases, the child may require increased oxygen until the condition clears, usually over a few months. In severe cases, children require repeated tracheostomy, in which a breathing tube is inserted into the trachea, and breathing assistance from a ventilator for the first two years of life. Your doctor will begin to wean your infant from the ventilator by slowing reducing the pressures and oxygen concentrations. Your baby may still need to receive oxygen by mask or nose for some time because improvement from this disease is extremely slow. Good nutrition is very important as the lungs grow and heal. Your child may need to be fed through tubes inserted into the stomach and will need extra calories as he or she works to breathe alone. Because fluids can accumulate in the lungs, your baby may be on restricted fluids, and may even be given diuretics to increase the release of fluids from the body. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is frequently treated with corticosteroids to decrease lung inflammation, similarly to severe asthma.
Self-care tips
If your child requires assistance with breathing, your doctor will try to keep him or her on a ventilator for the shortest time possible. If your baby has had bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, contact your doctor immediately if you notice any breathing problems or signs of a respiratory infection. Because recovery from this disease is so slow and can require lengthy hospitalization, it’s important for parents to have strong support from family, friends, and the healthcare system.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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