Key Points Clinical signs of a symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) usually appear later than echocardiographic signs and are related to the degree of left-to-right ductal shunting. Factors known to play a prominent role in regulation of ductal patency involve…
Key Points Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) can occur with parenchymal lung disease, with pulmonary hypoplasia, or without associated lung disease ( idiopathic ) and has an incidence of 0.2% in term infants and up to 2% in…
Key Points It is difficult to diagnose neonatal shock in its uncompensated phase during the immediate transitional period, while it is even harder to diagnose neonatal shock in its compensated phase using standard clinical monitoring and clinical approach. It is…
Key Points The heart forms from cardiac mesoderm as a symmetric linear tube with connections to the primitive arterial and venous systems. The heart tube is formed by 3 weeks’ gestation in the human. The heart tube loops, establishing laterality,…
Key Points Prompt diagnosis and early intervention are key in salvaging infants with life-threatening surgical disorders of the airway and chest. Improved prenatal ultrasound has shifted the diagnosis and management of disorders of the chest and airways into the fetal…
Key Points Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), as determined near term corrected age in former preterm newborns < 32 weeks’ gestational age is a marker for chronic respiratory morbidity. Newborns that are most immature and those born from an adverse intrauterine environment,…
Key Points Marked hypoxemia in the newborn can be caused by parenchymal lung disease, pulmonary vascular disease, or congenital heart defects. Events occurring at delivery, as well as the response to supplemental oxygen and to continuous positive airway pressure, can…
Key Points Apnea of prematurity is universal in preterm infants and a manifestation of greater inhibitory (rather than excitatory) influences on the central respiratory network. In premature infants, excitation of peripheral arterial chemoreceptors by hypoxia predisposes to periodic breathing and…
Key Points Most neonatal lung diseases are characterized by increased alveolar surface tension causing atelectasis. To offset this, pressure is applied to the upper airway through either noninvasive or invasive techniques. Regardless of the support technique applied, mean airway pressure…
Key Points Understanding the movement and maintenance of a volume of gas in and out of the lungs forms the basis of pulmonary physiology. Maintenance of functional residual capacity (FRC) is vital to adequate lung mechanics and gas exchange. There…