• Skip to main content
Search
  • Home
  • Services
      • Behavioral Health
      • Bloodless Medicine
      • Brain & Spine
      • Cancer Care
      • Ear, Nose and Throat
      • Emergency Care
      • Geriatric Care
      • Heart & Vascular Care
      • Home Health Care
      • Medical Imaging
      • Minimally Invasive Surgery
      • Orthopedics
      • Pregnancy & Childbirth
      • Primary Care
      • Rehabilitation Services
      • Weight Loss Surgery
      • Wound Healing & Care
      • Women's Health
  • Doctors
      • Find a Primary Care Doctor
      • Find a Doctor
      • Physician Referral
      • Practices:

        Baptist Primary Care
      • Baptist AgeWell
      • Baptist Behavioral Health
      • Baptist Endocrinology
      • Baptist ENT Specialists
      • Baptist Heart Specialists
      • Baptist Infectious Diseases
      • Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Physicians
      • Baptist Neurology
      • Baptist Pulmonary Specialists (Nassau)
      • Baptist Rheumatology
      • Baptist Urology Group (Nassau)
      • Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute
      • Lyerly Neurosurgery
  • Locations
    • Our Hospitals:

      • Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville
      • Baptist Medical Center South
      • Baptist Medical Center Beaches
      • Baptist Medical Center Nassau
      • Baptist Heart Hospital
      • Wolfson Children's Hospital

      Imaging Centers:

      • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
      • Mammography and Bone Density
      • Medical Imaging

      Freestanding Emergency Centers:

      • Baptist Emergency at Clay
      • Baptist Emergency at North
      • Baptist Emergency at Town Center

      Urgent Care Locations:

      • Baptist Health Clinics at Walgreens
      • CareSpot Urgent Care

      Health & Wellness:

      • 4her Center for Women
      • JCA Wellness Connexion
      • Y Healthy Living Centers

      Outpatient Locations:

      • AgeWell Center for Senior Health
      • Baptist Clay Medical Campus
      • Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center
      • Baptist Neurodiagnostic Center
      • Baptist North Medical Campus
      • Cardiac Testing Centers
      • Hill Breast Center
      • Infusion Center
      • Pharmacy
      • Rehabilitation Centers
      • Robotic Spine Surgery
      • Sleep Centers
      • Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center
      • Surgery Centers
      • Wound Care
  • Patient Info
      • Billing & Insurance Information
      • Insurance Plans Accepted
      • Cost Estimate Request
      • Financial Assistance Program
      • My Baptist Connect (Patient Portal)
      • Medical Records
      • Classes and Events
      • Clinical Trials
      • Tell Us What You Think
  • Health Library
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Symptoms
      • Tests
      • Surgeries and Procedures
      • Injuries
      • Nutrition
      • Poison
      • Drug Information
      • Drug Images
      • Health News
      • Video Library
  • About Us
      • Administration
      • Awards & Honors
      • Careers
      • Provider Opportunities
      • Baptist MD Anderson Provider Opportunities
      • Spiritual Care
      • Social Responsibility
      • Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
      • Corporate Wellness (PATH)
      • Volunteering
      • Newsroom
  • Juice
      • Health News Overview:

      • Brain, Spine & Nerve
      • Cancer
      • Child Health
      • Community Health
      • Heart & Vascular
      • Mental Health
      • Orthopedics, Bones & Muscles
      • Pregnancy & Childbirth
      • Primary Care
      • Wellness
      • Women's Health
  1. Home
  2. Health Library
  3. Diseases and Conditions
  4. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Diseases and Conditions
BPD; Chronic lung disease - children; CLD - children

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a long-term (chronic) lung condition that affects newborn babies who were either put on a breathing machine after birth or were born very early (prematurely).

BPD occurs in very ill infants who received high levels of oxygen for a long period. BPD can also occur in infants who were on a breathing machine (ventilator).

BPD is more common in infants born early (prematurely), whose lungs were not fully developed at birth.

Risk factors include:

  • Congenital heart disease (problem with the heart's structure and function that is present at birth)
  • Prematurity, usually in infants born before 32 weeks gestation
  • Severe respiratory or lung infection

Risk of severe BPD has decreased in recent years.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include any of the following:

  • Bluish skin color (cyanosis)
  • Cough
  • Rapid breathing
  • Shortness of breath

Exams and Tests

Tests that may be done to help diagnose BPD include

  • Arterial blood gas
  • Chest CT scan
  • Chest x-ray
  • Pulse oximetry

Treatment

IN THE HOSPITAL

Infants who have breathing problems are often put on a ventilator. This is a breathing machine that sends pressure to the baby's lungs to keep them inflated and to deliver more oxygen. As the baby's lungs develop, the pressure and oxygen are slowly reduced. The baby is weaned from the ventilator. The baby may continue to get oxygen by a mask or nasal tube for several weeks or months.

Infants with BPD are usually fed by tubes inserted into the stomach (NG tube). These babies need extra calories due to the effort of breathing. To keep their lungs from filling with fluid, their fluid intake may need to be limited. They may also be given medicines (diuretics) that remove water from the body. Other medicines can include corticosteroids, bronchodilators, and surfactant. Surfactant is a slippery substance in the lungs that helps the lungs fill with air and keeps the air sacs from deflating.

Parents of these infants need emotional support. This is because BPD takes time to get better and the infant may need to stay in the hospital for a long time.

AT HOME

Infants with BPD may need oxygen therapy for weeks to months after leaving the hospital. Follow your health care provider's instructions to ensure your baby gets enough nutrition during recovery. Your baby may need tube feedings or special formulas.

It is very important to prevent your baby from getting colds and other infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV can cause a severe lung infection, especially in a baby with BPD.

A simple way to help prevent RSV infection is to wash your hands often. Follow these measures:

  • Wash your hands with warm water and soap before touching your baby. Tell others to wash their hands, too, before touching your baby.
  • Ask others to avoid contact with your baby if they have a cold or fever, or ask them to wear a mask.
  • Be aware that kissing your baby can spread RSV.
  • Try to keep young children away from your baby. RSV is very common among young children and spreads easily from child-to-child.
  • DO NOT smoke inside your house, car, or anywhere near your baby. Exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk of RSV illness.

Parents of babies with BPD should avoid crowds during outbreaks of RSV. Outbreaks are often reported by local news media.

Your baby's provider may prescribe the medicine palivizumab (Synagis) to prevent RSV infection in your baby. Follow instructions on how to give your baby this medicine.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Babies with BPD get better slowly over time. Oxygen therapy may be needed for many months. Some infants have long-term lung damage and require oxygen and breathing support, such as with a ventilator. Some infants with this condition may not survive.

Possible Complications

Babies who have had BPD are at greater risk for repeated respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and RSV that require a hospital stay.

Other possible complications in babies who have had BPD are:

  • Developmental problems
  • Poor growth
  • Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs)
  • Long-term lung and breathing problems

When to Contact a Medical Professional

If your baby had BPD, watch for any breathing problems. Call your child's provider if you see any signs of a respiratory infection.

Prevention

To help prevent BPD:

  • Prevent premature delivery whenever possible. If you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, get prenatal care to help keep you and your baby healthy.
  • If your baby is on breathing support, ask the provider how soon your baby can be weaned from the ventilator.
  • Your baby may receive surfactant to help keep the lungs open.

References

Bancalari EH, Walsh MC. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the neonate. In: Martin RJ, Fanaroff AA, Walsh MC, eds. Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine: Diseases of the Fetus and Infant. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 77.

Lestrud SO. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St. Geme JW, Schor NF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 20th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 416.

BACK TO TOP

Review Date: 5/21/2017

Reviewed By: Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, MHS, Paul F. Harron, Jr. Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

 
 
 

 

 

A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Fire Fox and Google Chrome browser.
Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Fire Fox and Google Chrome browser.

Self Care

  • Postural drainage

Related Information

  • Chronic

  • Respiratory

  • Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

  • Pneumonia - adults (community acquired)

  • Pneumonia

Daily Health and Medical News

Results for babies, baby, bpd, breathing, bronchopulmonary

  • Antibiotics Still Misused in Babies With Viral Lung Infections
    January 17, 2019

  • Fetal Kicks May Help Babies Understand Their Bodies
    November 30, 2018

  • What's Best for Babies With Recurring Ear Infections
    November 28, 2018

  • AHA: Infection as a Baby Led to Heart Valve Surgery for Teen
    January 16, 2019

  • Baby Steps Head Off a Fussy Eater
    January 14, 2019

© Copyright 2019 | All Rights Reserved

If you speak another language, assistance services
free of charge, are available to you.

Baptist Health Facebook Baptist Health Twitter Baptist Health on LinkedIn Baptist Health on Instagram Baptist Health on Youtube
Physician Login | Application Login | Employee Login
Quality Measures | Privacy | Non-Discrimination | Comments | Site Map