Home oxygen therapy for chronic lung disease in extremely low-birth-weight infants.
Chronic lung disease that requires prolonged oxygen therapy commonly complicates the recovery of extremely low-birth-weight infants (less than 1000 g). We report follow-up data through 18.5 +/- 0.9 (mean +/- SEM) months of age in 30 extremely low-birth-weight infants (birth weight, 783 +/- 24 g; gestational age, 26.0 +/- 0.3 weeks) who were discharged home receiving supplemental oxygen. Oxygen was prescribed to maintain arterial oxygen saturation at 95% or greater. At discharge, postconceptional age was 40.5 +/- 0.6 weeks, and weight was 2220 +/- 50 g. Duration of home oxygen therapy was 4.5 +/- 0.5 months. The mean weight percentile increased from less than 5 to 23 between discharge and the last follow-up. All infants survived; only 6 required hospitalization for acute medical illnesses. We conclude that carefully supervised home oxygen therapy permits the safe early discharge of selected extremely low-birth-weight infants with chronic lung disease.
Hudak
B B
BB
Eudowood Pediatric Respiratory Science Division, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205.
Allen
M C
MC
Hudak
M L
ML
Loughlin
G M
GM
D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies