Prediction of bronchopulmonary dysplasia development

The survival of infants born extremely prematurely is increasing, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is not diminishing.1 Strategies employed to reduce the incidence of BPD have largely been unsuccessful or have an unacceptably high rate of adverse effects.2 It is, therefore, essential to identify predictors of BPD development and in particular the development of severe BPD so that preventative interventions can be targeted at high-risk infants. We tested the hypothesis that a requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation at 1 week of age would predict development of BPD and severe BPD. Infants <32 weeks of gestational age …