This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Further data needed into BPD treatments and associated mortality
Ambalavanan N. Pediatrics. 2011; 127:e106-e116.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia incidence and associated neonatal death rates varied according to treating center, and further research is needed to discern what variables can lead to worse outcomes in these newborns, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
Namasivayam Ambalavanan, MD, of the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and colleagues looked at data from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development National Research Network on newborns with a birth weight of less than 1,250 g to determine “the magnitude of clustering of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death … the infant-level variables associated with the outcome and estimate their clustering, and the center-specific practices associated with the differences and build predictive models.” The researchers developed predictive models by using infant-level and center-specific information from 2001 to 2004 and projected their data out to 2006.
During the study years, the researchers said “significant clustering of BPD/death (pairwise OR=1.3; P<.001), with an increase in 2006 (pairwise OR=1.6; overall incidence: 52%; range across centers: 32%-74%).”
The researchers said a lower body temperature at admission, specific drug therapy on day 1, use of prophylactic indomethacin and lack of intubation were significantly associated with worse outcomes.
“We know a great deal about risk factors for BPD and for death in very preterm infants. However, the magnitude of the center variation in BPD/death is large, and center differences persist after correction of clinical variables associated with BPD/death,” the researchers concluded. “Additional research into the clustered and unmeasured variables, perhaps by thoughtful and careful prospective data collection and intervention trials, may yield insights into the pathogenesis and prevention of BPD/death.”
Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.
 |
Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter. |