The Effects of Handling on Preterm Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a commonplace problem of infants who are bom with a birth weight under 1,500 grams and who require mechanical ventilation. The immature nervous system of these infants is easily overwhelmed by sensory overload in the intensive care nursery. The purpose of this research was to: (a) quantify the physiologic distress signals (PDS) exhibited by the infant with BPD during handling procedures and (b) compare these findings to a group of healthy preterm infants from birth through hospital discharge. The subjects were 32 preterm infants, 9 of whom had BPD. From 28 to 38 weeks postconceptual age the infants with BPD demonstrated significantly more tachycardia, tachypnea and bradycardia when being handled as well as other subtle physiologic distress signals. They were significantly older when selected PDS disappeared. These findings have implications for planning care for infants with BPD.