Abstract
The relationship between changes in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in VLBW infants between days 1 and 28 and the development of chronic lung disease (CLD) was studied. PAP was assessed non-invasively by measuring the time to peak velocity:right ventricular ejection time ratio (TPV:RVET) of the pulmonary artery Doppler signal. This correlates negatively with PAP. 54 VLBW infants were studied. 34 developed CLD; 20 did not and acted as controls.
Results: The TPV:RVET rose similarly in the two groups over the first 3 days. However, already by day 7 there was a significantly lower TPV:RVET in the CLD group vs controls (p=0.004). Using a value for TPV:RVET 0.34 as indicating raised PAP, its predictive value for the development of CLD increased from 78% on day 7 to 100% on day 28.
Conclusion: The TPV:RVET ratio appeared to be a sensitive indicator of changes in PAP. It might be useful for the early prediction and development of treatment strategies for CLD.
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Gill, B., Weindling, M. IS PULMONARY ARTERY PRESSURE IN THE VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT INFANT AT 7 DAYS A PREDICTOR OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE?. Pediatr Res 32, 635 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00180
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00180