In Preterm babies, Lung ultrasound scores useful to predict Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Study

In a recent study published in the Pediatric Pulmonology unveiled the potential of lung ultrasound (LUS) as a rapid and effective method for evaluating preterm infants facing respiratory distress.

The study was conducted at an academic tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit focused on infants younger than 32 weeks by bringing out LUS as a promising predictor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm neonates.

This retrospective observational study encompassed 218 patients from the years 2018 to 2023, to understand the relationship between LUS scores within the first three days of life and critical respiratory outcomes. The lungs were divided into six regions with each assigned a score ranging from 0 to 3 points. The total score was obtained by summing these regional scores which proved to be an important indicator.

The key findings of study were;

Infants with the highest and lowest LUS scores within the initial three days expressed a significant association with the development of moderate-to-severe BPD (p < .001) with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve values from 0.684 to 0.913 and 0.647 to 0.902, respectively. High LUS scores were also linked to the requirement for mechanical ventilation (p < .001) despite no significant correlation found with the duration of mechanical ventilation.

The highest LUS scores within the first three days of life being sepsis and the presence of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) emerged as significant risk factors.

This study establishes LUS scores as predictors of BPD and the need for invasive ventilation. These findings open possibilities for early intervention and personalized care strategies for the vulnerable preterm population by potentially reshaping the management of respiratory distress in neonatal intensive care units.

Reference:

Aliyev, F., Kayki, G., Annakkaya Kocyigit, T., İyigun, İ., & Yigit, S. (2023). Lung ultrasound scores within the first 3 days of life to predict respiratory outcomes. In Pediatric Pulmonology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.26804