Abstract Objective To quantify the trajectory of lung ultrasound scores (LUSSc) and estimate their association on inpatient respiratory trajectories in preterm infants with potentially evolving bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) Study design We measured LUSSc prospectively in infants <32 weeks’ gestation weekly from 2 weeks of life through 44 weeks’ post-menstrual age (PMA) or discharge. The primary outcome was the age, in PMA, to achieve liberation of respiratory support (LRS) defined as room air or < 1 L/min (F i O 2 = 100%). Result In 16 infants, 10 patients had Grade 2–3 BPD, and LUSSc declined over time. The median age to achieve LRS was 42 weeks’ PMA (33.6, 47.9). Using the maximum LUSSc each infant had between 30 and 32 weeks’ PMA, each 1-point increase in the LUSSc was independently associated with a 9-day increase in the age to achieve LRS. Conclusion LUSSc may serve as a diagnostic marker for inpatient respiratory trajectories of preterm infants with evolving BPD.
Weinstein et al. (Fri,) studied this question.