Characteristics of infants or children presenting to outpatient bronchopulmonary dysplasia clinics in the United States

Parental Report of Indoor Air Pollution is Associated with Respiratory Morbidities In Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between indoor air pollution and respiratory morbidities in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia recruited from the multicenter Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Collaborative.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was performed among participants less than 3 years old in the BPD Collaborative Outpatient Registry. Indoor air pollution was defined as any reported exposure to tobacco or marijuana smoke, electronic cigarette emissions, gas stoves, and/or wood stoves. Clinical data included acute care use and chronic respiratory symptoms in the past 4 weeks.

RESULTS

A total of 1,011 subjects born at a mean gestational age of 26.4 ± 2.2 weeks were included. Most (66.6%) had severe BPD. Over 40% of subjects were exposed to at least one source of indoor air pollution. The odds of reporting an emergency department visit (OR 1.7 [1.18, 2.45], antibiotic use (OR 1.9 [1.12, 3.21]), or a systemic steroid course (OR 2.18 [1.24, 3.84]) were significantly higher in subjects reporting exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) compared with those without SHS exposure. Subjects reporting exposure to air pollution (not including SHS) also had a significantly greater odds (OR 1.48 [1.08, 2.03]) of antibiotic use as well. Indoor air pollution exposure (including SHS) was not associated with chronic respiratory symptoms or rescue medication use.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to indoor air pollution, especially SHS, was associated with acute respiratory morbidities, including ED visits, antibiotics for respiratory illnesses, and systemic steroid use.

Factors associated with liberation from home mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy decannulation in infants and children with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia

OBJECTIVE

To identify factors associated with the timing of ventilator liberation and tracheostomy decannulation among infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD) who required chronic outpatient invasive ventilation.

STUDY DESIGN

Multicenter retrospective study of 154 infants with sBPD on outpatient ventilators. Factors associated with ventilator liberation and decannulation were identified using Cox regression models and multilevel survival models.

RESULTS

Ventilation liberation and decannulation occurred at median ages of 27 and 49 months, respectively. Older age at transition to a portable ventilator and at discharge, higher positive end expiratory pressure, and multiple respiratory readmissions were associated with delayed ventilator liberation. Surgical management of gastroesophageal reflux was associated with later decannulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Ventilator liberation timing was impacted by longer initial admissions and higher ventilator pressure support needs, whereas decannulation timing was associated with more aggressive reflux management. Variation in the timing of events was primarily due to individual-level factors, rather than center-level factors.

Interdisciplinary clinical bronchopulmonary dysplasia programs: development, evolution, and maturation

Multidisciplinary bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) programs provide improved and consistent medical management, care of the developing infant, family support, and smoother transitions in care resulting in improved survival, pulmonary, and extra-pulmonary outcomes. This review summarizes the benefits of interdisciplinary BPD management, as well as strategies for initial programmatic development, program growth, and maintenance at centers across the United States factoring in institutional, provider, and parent reported goals that were derived from a consensus conference on BPD management.

Approaches to Interdisciplinary Care for Infants with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Survey of the Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Collaborative

OBJECTIVE

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most common late morbidity for extremely premature infants. Care of infants with BPD requires a longitudinal approach from the neonatal intensive care unit to ambulatory care though interdisciplinary programs. Current approaches for the development of optimal programs vary among centers.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a survey of 18 academic centers that are members of the BPD Collaborative, a consortium of institutions with an established interdisciplinary BPD program. We aimed to characterize the approach, composition, and current practices of the interdisciplinary teams in inpatient and outpatient domains.

RESULTS

Variations exist among centers, including composition of the interdisciplinary team, whether the team is the primary or consult service, timing of the first team assessment of the patient, frequency and nature of rounds during the hospitalization, and the timing of ambulatory visits postdischarge.

CONCLUSION

Further studies to assess long-term outcomes are needed to optimize interdisciplinary care of infants with severe BPD.

KEY POINTS

· Care of infants with BPD requires a longitudinal approach from the NICU to ambulatory care.. · Benefits of interdisciplinary care for children have been observed in other chronic conditions.. · Current approaches for the development of optimal interdisciplinary BPD programs vary among centers..

A clinical informatics approach to bronchopulmonary dysplasia: current barriers and future possibilities

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a complex, multifactorial lung disease affecting preterm neonates that can result in long-term pulmonary and non-pulmonary complications. Current therapies mainly focus on symptom management after the development of BPD, indicating a need for innovative approaches to predict and identify neonates who would benefit most from targeted or earlier interventions. Clinical informatics, a subfield of biomedical informatics, is transforming healthcare by integrating computational methods with patient data to improve patient outcomes. The application of clinical informatics to develop and enhance clinical therapies for BPD presents opportunities by leveraging electronic health record data, applying machine learning algorithms, and implementing clinical decision support systems. This review highlights the current barriers and the future potential of clinical informatics in identifying clinically relevant BPD phenotypes and developing clinical decision support tools to improve the management of extremely preterm neonates developing or with established BPD. However, the full potential of clinical informatics in advancing our understanding of BPD with the goal of improving patient outcomes cannot be achieved unless we address current challenges such as data collection, storage, privacy, and inherent data bias.

Number of children in the household influences respiratory morbidities in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the outpatient setting

BACKGROUND

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication of prematurity, is associated with outpatient morbidities, including respiratory exacerbations. Daycare attendance is associated with increased rates of acute and chronic morbidities in children with BPD. We sought to determine if additional children in the household conferred similar risks for children with BPD.

METHODS

The number of children in the household and clinical outcomes were obtained via validated instruments for 933 subjects recruited from 13 BPD specialty clinics in the United States. Clustered logistic regression models were used to test for associations.

RESULTS

The mean gestational age of the study population was 26.5 ± 2.2 weeks and most subjects (69.1%) had severe BPD. The mean number of children in households (including the subject) was 2.1 ± 1.3 children. Each additional child in the household was associated with a 13% increased risk for hospital admission, 13% increased risk for antibiotic use for respiratory illnesses, 10% increased risk for coughing/wheezing/shortness of breath, 14% increased risk for nighttime symptoms, and 18% increased risk for rescue medication use. Additional analyses found that the increased risks were most prominent when there were three or more other children in the household.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed that additional children in the household were a risk factor for adverse respiratory outcomes. We speculate that secondary person-to-person transmission of respiratory viral infections drives this finding. While this risk factor is not easily modified, measures do exist to mitigate this disease burden. Further studies are needed to define best practices for mitigating this risk associated with household viral transmission.

Codesign of remote data collection for chronic management of pediatric home mechanical ventilation

INTRODUCTION

Outpatient monitoring of children using invasive home mechanical ventilation (IHMV) is recommended, but access to care can be difficult. This study tested if remote (home-based) data collection was feasible and acceptable in chronic IHMV management.

METHODS

A codesign study was conducted with an IHMV program, home nurses, and English- and Spanish-speaking parent-guardians of children using IHMV (0-17 years; n = 19). After prototyping, parents used a remote patient monitoring (RPM) bundle to collect patient heart rate, respiratory rate (RR), oxygen saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2 ), and ventilator pressure/volume over 8 weeks. User feedback was analyzed using qualitative methods and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Expected marginal mean differences within patient measures when awake, asleep, or after a break were calculated using mixed effects models.

RESULTS

Patients were a median 2.9 years old and 11 (58%) took breaks off the ventilator. RPM data were entered on a mean of 83.7% (SD ± 29.1%) weeks. SUS scores were 84.8 (SD ± 10.5) for nurses and 91.8 (SD ± 10.1) for parents. Over 90% of parents agreed/strongly agreed that RPM data collection was feasible and relevant to their child's care. Within-patient comparisons revealed that EtCO2 (break-vs-asleep 2.55 mmHg, d = 0.79 [0.42-1.15], p < .001; awake-vs-break 1.48, d = -0.49 [0.13-0.84], p = .02) and RR (break-vs-asleep 16.14, d = 2.12 [1.71-2.53], p < .001; awake-vs-break 3.44, d = 0.45 [0.10-0.04], p = .03) were significantly higher during ventilator breaks.

CONCLUSIONS

RPM data collection in children with IHMV was feasible, acceptable, and captured clinically meaningful vital sign changes during ventilator breaks, supporting the clinical utility of RPM in IHMV management.

Health-Related Qualities of Life in School-Aged Children with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

OBJECTIVE

To determine health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of school-aged children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) using the standardized Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) assessment tools.

STUDY DESIGN

The Indoor Air Quality and Respiratory Morbidity in Children with BPD Study is an ongoing observational study of school-aged children with BPD. HRQOL is assessed at enrollment by 3 PROMIS questionnaires, Parent Proxy Scale-Global Health 7, Parent Proxy Psychological Stress Experiences-Short Form, and the Parent Proxy Profile-Profile-25. PROMIS data were tested for significant deviation from the standardized T-Score references for normative populations of children.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine subjects enrolled in the AERO-BPD study had complete outcome data for HRQOL. The mean age was 9 (±2) years and 43% were female. Mean days on respiratory support totaled 96 (±40). Across all domains, school-aged children with BPD reported similar or slightly better outcomes than the reference sample. Statistically significant findings of lower depression (P < .0001), fatigue (P < .0001), and pain (P < .0001) scores were found; there was no difference in psychological stress experiences (P = .87), global health (P = .06), anxiety (P = .08), relationships (P = .80), and mobility (P = .59) domains.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that children with BPD may have less depression, fatigue, and pain HRQL than the general population. Once validated, these findings may offer reassurance to parents and providers caring for children with BPD.

Tracheostomy in Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-How to Decide in the Absence of Evidence

Infants with the most severe forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may require long-term invasive positive pressure ventilation for survival, therefore necessitating tracheostomy. Although life-saving, tracheostomy has also been associated with high mortality, postoperative complications, high readmission rates, neurodevelopmental impairment, and significant caregiver burden, making it a highly complex and challenging decision. However, for some infants tracheostomy may be necessary for survival and the only way to facilitate a timely and safe transition home. The specific indications for tracheostomy and the timing of the procedure in infants with severe BPD are currently unknown. Hence, centers and clinicians display broad variations in practice with regard to tracheostomy, which presents barriers to designing evidence-generating studies and establishing a consensus approach. As the incidence of severe BPD continues to rise, the question remains, how do we decide on tracheostomy to provide optimal outcomes for these patients?

Validation of an outpatient questionnaire for bronchopulmonary dysplasia control

INTRODUCTION

Despite bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) being a common morbidity of preterm birth, there is no validated objective tool to assess outpatient respiratory symptom control for clinical and research purposes.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 1049 preterm infants and children seen in outpatient BPD clinics of 13 US tertiary care centers from 2018 to 2022. A new standardized instrument was modified from an asthma control test questionnaire and administered at the time of clinic visits. External measures of acute care use were also collected. The questionnaire for BPD control was validated in the entire population and selected subgroups using standard methodology for internal reliability, construct validity, and discriminative properties.

RESULTS

Based on the scores from BPD control questionnaire, the majority of caregivers (86.2%) felt their child's symptoms were under control, which did not differ by BPD severity (p = 0.30) or a history of pulmonary hypertension (p = 0.42). Across the entire population and selected subgroups, the BPD control questionnaire was internally reliable, suggestive of construct validity (albeit correlation coefficients were -0.2 to -0.4.), and discriminated control well. Control categories (controlled, partially controlled, and uncontrolled) were also predictive of sick visits, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides a tool for assessing respiratory control in children with BPD for clinical care and research studies. Further work is needed to identify modifiable predictors of disease control and link scores from the BPD control questionnaire to other measures of respiratory health such as lung function testing.

Respiratory Outcomes for Ventilator-Dependent Children With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

OBJECTIVES

To describe outpatient respiratory outcomes and center-level variability among children with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who require tracheostomy and long-term mechanical ventilation.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort of subjects with severe BPD, born between 2016 and 2021, who received tracheostomy and were discharged on home ventilator support from 12 tertiary care centers participating in the BPD Collaborative Outpatient Registry. Timing of key respiratory events including time to tracheostomy placement, initial hospital discharge, first outpatient clinic visit, liberation from the ventilator, and decannulation were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Differences between centers for the timing of events were assessed via log-rank tests.

RESULTS

There were 155 patients who met inclusion criteria. Median age at the time of the study was 32 months. The median age of tracheostomy placement was 5 months (48 weeks' postmenstrual age). The median ages of hospital discharge and first respiratory clinic visit were 10 months and 11 months of age, respectively. During the study period, 64% of the subjects were liberated from the ventilator at a median age of 27 months and 32% were decannulated at a median age of 49 months. The median ages for all key events differed significantly by center (P ≤ .001 for all events).

CONCLUSIONS

There is wide variability in the outpatient respiratory outcomes of ventilator-dependent infants and children with severe BPD. Further studies are needed to identify the factors that contribute to variability in practice among the different BPD outpatient centers, which may include inpatient practices.

Predictors for invasive home mechanical ventilation duration in bronchopulmonary dysplasia

BACKGROUND

Children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who require invasive home mechanical ventilation (IHMV) are medically vulnerable and experience high caregiving and healthcare costs. Predictors for duration of IHMV in children with BPD remain unclear, which can make prognostication and decision-making challenging.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of children with BPD requiring IHMV was conducted from independent children's hospital records (2005-2021). The primary outcome was IHMV duration, defined as time from initial discharge home on IHMV until cessation of positive pressure ventilation (day and night). Two new variables were included: discharge age corrected for tracheostomy (DACT) (chronological age at discharge minus age at tracheostomy) and level of ventilator support at discharge (minute ventilation per kg per day). Univariable Cox regression was performed with variables of interest compared to IHMV duration. Significant nonlinear factors (p < 0.05) were included in the multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

One-hundred-and-nineteen patients used IHMV primarily for BPD. Patient median index hospitalization lasted 12 months (interquartile range [IQR] 8.0,14.4). Once home, half of the patients were weaned off IHMV by 36.0 months and 90% by 52.2 months. Being Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 0.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.53), p < 0.01) and having a higher DACT were associated with increased IHMV duration (HR 0.66 (CI 0.43, 0.98), p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Disparity in IHMV duration exists among patients using IHMV after prematurity. Prospective multisite studies that further investigate new analytic variables, such as DACT and level of ventilator support, and address standardization of IHMV care are needed to create more equitable IHMV management strategies.

Outcomes of infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia who received tracheostomy and home ventilation

OBJECTIVE

To describe the survival rate, timing of liberation from the ventilator, and factors favorable for decannulation among infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (sBPD) who received tracheostomy.

METHODS

Demographics and clinical outcomes were obtained through retrospective chart review of 98 infants with sBPD who were born between 2004 and 2017, received tracheostomy at <1 year of age, and were followed in the Infant Tracheostomy and Home Ventilator clinic up to 4 years of age.

RESULTS

The number of infants with sBPD who received tracheostomy increased significantly over the study period. The median age at tracheostomy was 4 months (IQR 3, 5) or 43 weeks corrected gestational age; the median age at NICU discharge was 7 months (IQR 6, 9). At 48 months of age, all subjects had been liberated from the ventilator, at a median age of 24 months (IQR 18, 29); 52% had been decannulated with a median age at decannulation of 32 months (IQR 26, 39). Only 1 (1%) infant died. Multivariate logistic regression showed infants who were White, liberated from the ventilator by 24 months of age and have public insurance had significantly greater odds of being decannulated by 48 months of age. Tracheobronchomalacia was associated with decreased odds of decannulation.

CONCLUSION

Infants with sBPD who received tracheostomy had an excellent survival rate. Liberation from home ventilation and decannulation are likely to occur by 4 years of age.

Daycare Attendance is Linked to Increased Risk of Respiratory Morbidities in Children Born Preterm with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

OBJECTIVES

To test the hypothesis that daycare attendance among children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with increased chronic respiratory symptoms and/or greater health care use for respiratory illnesses during the first 3 years of life.

STUDY DESIGN

Daycare attendance and clinical outcomes were obtained via standardized instruments for 341 subjects recruited from 9 BPD specialty clinics in the US. All subjects were former infants born preterm (<34 weeks) with BPD (71% severe) requiring outpatient follow-up between 0 and 3 years of age. Mixed logistic regression models were used to test for associations.

RESULTS

Children with BPD attending daycare were more likely to have emergency department visits and systemic steroid usage. Children in daycare up to 3 years of age also were more likely to report trouble breathing, having activity limitations, and using rescue medications when compared with children not in daycare. More severe manifestations were found in children attending daycare between 6 and 12 months of chronological age.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, children born preterm with BPD who attend daycare were more likely to visit the emergency department, use systemic steroids, and have chronic respiratory symptoms compared with children not in daycare, indicating that daycare may be a potential modifiable risk factor to minimize respiratory morbidities in children with BPD during the preschool years.

Diagnosis and management of pulmonary hypertension in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Chronic pulmonary hypertension of infancy (cPHi) is a heterogeneous disease process that contributes to morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. cPHi is most commonly associated with chronic lung disease of prematurity and represents a unique phenotype of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. It is characterized by persistently elevated or newly rising pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary artery pressure beyond the first weeks of age. The high-pressure afterload on the right ventricle may or may not be tolerated, depending upon additional cardiovascular shunting and co-morbidities. A comprehensive clinical evaluation combined with advanced hemodynamic assessment by echocardiography and other cardiac imaging modalities help decipher the etiopathologies of disease, identify cardiopulmonary compromise earlier and guide individualized therapeutic intervention tailored by the phenotype. This review summarizes the underlying etiologies, risk factors for development, hemodynamic assessment, management, and follow-up of cPHi in preterm infants. We offer an algorithm for early detection of cPHi and outline research priorities.

Insurance coverage and respiratory morbidities in bronchopulmonary dysplasia

INTRODUCTION

Preterm infants and young children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are at increased risk for acute care utilization and chronic respiratory symptoms during early life. Identifying risk factors for respiratory morbidities in the outpatient setting could decrease the burden of care. We hypothesized that public insurance coverage was associated with higher acute care usage and respiratory symptoms in preterm infants and children with BPD after initial neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge.

METHODS

Subjects were recruited from BPD clinics at 10 tertiary care centers in the United States between 2018 and 2021. Demographics and clinical characteristics were obtained through chart review. Surveys for clinical outcomes were administered to caregivers.

RESULTS

Of the 470 subjects included in this study, 249 (53.0%) received employer-based insurance coverage and 221 (47.0%) received Medicaid as sole coverage at least once between 0 and 3 years of age. The Medicaid group was twice as likely to have sick visits (adjusted odd ratio [OR]: 2.06; p = 0.009) and emergency department visits (aOR: 2.09; p = 0.028), and three times more likely to be admitted for respiratory reasons (aOR: 3.04; p = 0.001) than those in the employer-based group. Additionally, those in the Medicaid group were more likely to have nighttime respiratory symptoms (aOR: 2.62; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with BPD who received Medicaid coverage were more likely to utilize acute care and have nighttime respiratory symptoms during the first 3 years of life. More comprehensive studies are needed to determine whether the use of Medicaid represents a barrier to accessing care, lower socioeconomic status, and/or a proxy for detrimental environmental exposures.

Tracheostomy in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia: A review

In recent years, with increased survival of infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), long term ventilation due to severe BPD has increased and become the most common indication for tracheostomy in infants less than one year of age. Evidence shows that tracheostomy in severe BPD may improve short- and long-term respiratory and neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, there is significant variation among centers in the indication, timing, intensive care management, and follow-up care after hospital discharge of infants with severe BPD who received tracheostomy for chronic ventilation. The timing of liberation from the ventilator, odds of decannulation, rate of rehospitalization, growth, and neurodevelopment are all clinically important outcomes that can guide both clinicians and parents to make a well-informed decision when choosing tracheostomy and long-term assisted ventilation for infants with severe BPD. This review summarizes the current literature regarding the indications and timing of tracheostomy placement in infants with severe BPD, highlights center variability in both intensive care and outpatient follow-up settings, and describes outcomes of infants with severe BPD who received tracheostomy.

Influences of environmental exposures on preterm lung disease

Introduction: Environmental factors play a critical role in the progression or resolution of chronic respiratory diseases. However, studies are limited on the impact of environmental risk factors on individuals born prematurely with lung disease after they leave the neonatal intensive care unit and are discharged into the home environment.Areas covered: In this review, we cover current knowledge of environmental exposures that impact outcomes of preterm respiratory disease, including air pollution, infections, and disparities. The limited data do suggest that certain exposures should be avoided and there are potential preventative strategies for other exposures. There is a need for additional research outside the neonatal intensive care unit that focuses on individual and community-level factors that affect long-term outcomes.Expert opinion: Preterm respiratory disease can impose a significant burden on infants, children, and young adults born prematurely, but may improve for many individuals over time. In this review, we outline the exposures that may potentially hasten, delay, or prevent resolution of lung injury in preterm children.