Is There a Strategy for Preventing Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia?
Hany Aly, MD, FAAP Department of Newborn Services, George Washington University and Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC Abbreviations: BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure GWU, George Washington University Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a serious health problem associated with mortality and high morbidity among graduates of the NICU.1 The cost of BPD is tremendous. It is associated with prolonged hospitalization of the preterm infant, multiple rehospitalizations during the first few years of life, and survival with developmental delay and/or cerebral palsy.1,2 It becomes, therefore, a major goal for the neonatal community to prevent or at least partially control the incidence of BPD. In an effort to scientifically ameliorate the incidence of BPD, Walsh et al3 examined the 3 best-performing NICUs among the 17 units of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Network. The study team determined some prac
