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TOPLINE
Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who were born extremely preterm did not have significantly different respiratory visits after hospital discharge compared with those born at later preterm gestational ages.
METHODOLOGY
- Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate outpatient respiratory outcomes in infants with BPD born at extreme gestational ages.
- They used data from a BPD registry and included infants with BPD born before 26 weeks of gestation who presented to BPD clinics after hospital discharge. Data were collected between September 2018 and February 2025, with children followed up to 3 years of age.
- Researchers compared extremely preterm group including those born at 22-23 6/7 weeks of gestation (n = 231; 57% girls) and control group including those born at 24-25 6/7 weeks of gestation (n = 532; 44.4% girls).
- Respiratory outcomes included the use of acute care and chronic symptoms during outpatient follow-up.
TAKEAWAY
- Infants in the extremely preterm group had higher rates of severe BPD than those in the control group (78.4% vs 70.9%; P < .003) and were more often discharged on supplemental oxygen (61.9% vs 53.0%; P < .02).
- Infants in the extremely preterm group and control group did not have significant differences in sick clinic visits, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions for respiratory issues.
- Infants in the extremely preterm group were less likely to receive antibiotics and systemic steroids for acute respiratory illness compared with those in the control group (P < .05 for both). They were also less likely to need rescue medication (P = .010).
- Rates of discharge with tracheostomy and/or ventilator support did not differ between the groups.
IN PRACTICE
"[The] findings underscore the need to characterize more fully the outpatient respiratory trajectories across the gestational-age spectrum," the authors wrote.
SOURCE
The study was led by Julie L. Fierro, MD, MPH, of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia. It was published online on September 6 as a brief report in The Journal of Pediatrics.
LIMITATIONS
The study was retrospective. Researchers had limited access to antenatal information. They used an older definition of BPD instead of more contemporary versions.
DISCLOSURES
The study received support from the National Institutes of Health. The authors declared having no competing interests or personal relationships related to the work.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
