RESPIRATORY CARE
Respiratory problems are extremely common in
premature newborns, affecting 40 to 50 percent of babies
born before 32 weeks. One of the most common ailments is
respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), caused by
underdeveloped lungs. Nearly 90 percent of babies who
develop RDS now survive, thanks to the use of surfactant,
a treatment Texas Children’s helped pioneer.
Standard and specialized
ventilators are used in the NICU. While some newborns are
able to breathe well on their own, others may need
assistance and require special mixtures of air and oxygen.
When breathing assistance is necessary, the baby’s breathing
can be measured and the optimal breathing pattern
automatically regulated by ventilators.
A major cause
of death for premature infants is respiratory failure.
Hyaline membrane disease – a result of deficiency of a lung
substance called surfactant – is frequently responsible. The
lungs of very young preemies often lack the elasticity that
surfactant naturally provides. The Texas Children’s Newborn
Center has played a major role in the testing of artificial
surfactant that is now available commercially and is
administered frequently to premature infants to save their
tiny lungs.
Extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of therapy that supports a
baby’s heart and lungs for a few days, providing valuable
time for those organs to heal and grow. ECMO technology is
similar to the heart/lung bypass techniques used in
cardiovascular surgery.
ECMO may be
used as therapy for infants who are in critical condition
with severe respiratory infections, underdeveloped or
malformed lungs, or birth defects.
While it is
not a cure for lung disease, ECMO is the stepping stone to
survival for many premature infants and has saved the lives
of a number of critically ill infants at Texas Children’s.
Nitric oxide (NO) treatment
blends nitric oxide gas with the oxygen/air mixture in
ventilators to improve blood flow to the lungs. This
improves oxygen levels in the baby’s blood, resulting in
increased survival rates among newborns treated with NO
therapy.
Texas
Children’s was the first U.S. hospital to participate in
multi-center trials for this highly successful therapy,
which sometimes spares the need for more invasive and
expensive procedures.
