Abstract 1430 Poster Session III, Monday, 5/3 (poster 28)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the pulmonary function and exercise capacity of older children (age 9-14 years), comparing those who had been born extremely preterm to those who were born healthy and full term. Methods: Thirty-seven children who had a BW ≤800 gm (mean BW 701±81 g and mean GA 26.0±1.6 wks) were identified from a cohort of infants followed longitudinally in a multidisciplinary research clinic. Children with neuromuscular or visual disabilities were excluded. Males, who represented 30% of the sample (N=11), more frequently had neonatal chronic lung disease and were more likely to have a history of wheezing during childhood than females (4/11 and 5/26). Fifteen control children were recruited by hospital advertisement. Each child underwent baseline pulmonary function tests and an incremental-graded exercise study under supervision of an exercise physiologist. Results: Mean values for functional vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were not different between groups. However, compared to controls, preterm children had lower mean FEF25-75 (87±25 and 105±18, p=0.02) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) values (88±16 and 102±18, p=0.003). Peak oxygen consumption by weight (VO2/kg) was significantly lower for preterm (31±6 and 39±5, p<.001). Male preterm children had lower FEF25-75 (70±25 and 93±22, p<.01) and FEV1/FVCs (79±9 and 89±5, p<.0001) than female preterms. There were no gender differences in oxygen consumption measures for the preterm children. Conclusion: Healthy survivors of extreme prematurity have pulmonary function testing consistent with small airways dysfunction compared to age-matched, term gestation control children. Male preterms were most likely to have abnormal pulmonary function, perhaps secondary to greater pulmonary complications during the neonatal period. However, none of the survivors tested had clinically evident pulmonary limitations. Low oxygen consumption values suggest a poor level of fitness for the preterm survivors and warrant additional investigation.