Carbon dioxide and retinopathy of prematurity in extremely low birth weight infants

The number of premature babies, including those with extremely low birth weight (ELBW), is steadily growing every year. In surviving ELBW infants, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) more often develops, which has a more severe course, depending not only on the degree of immaturity and somatic burden of premature babies but also on the quality of nursing. The aim of this work is to determine the risk factors for ROP progression in profoundly premature ELBW infants to optimize the tactics of their treatment. Materials and methods. We studied the case histories of 155 surviving premature ELBW infants with ROP of various stages treated in perinatal centres of the Belgorod region in 2014-2019. Results. In premature ELBW infants, ROP of varying severity was found to be diagnosed in 90% of cases. The anamnesis of the mothers of the examined patients with moderate and severe ROP was dominated by unfavorable preceding pregnancies (miscarriages, silent miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies, medical abortions).The need for preterm infants in mechanical ventilation was established to depend on the severity of ROP and the duration of mechanical ventilation (p < 0.05). Frequent, not always justified red blood transfusions leading to the replacement of fetal haemoglobin with adult haemoglobin are also essential factors in ROP progression.

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The Effect of Anemia on Retinopathy of Prematurity in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1038/sj.jp.7200511 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 21-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Judith A Englert ◽

Richard A Saunders ◽

Dilip Purohit ◽

Thomas C Hulsey ◽

Myla Ebeling

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Retinopathy Of Prematurity ◽

Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants

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Screening Retinopathy of Prematurity in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in China and the Need for Earlier Screening Times

Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1155/2016/7065835 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jianxun Wang ◽

Feng Chen ◽

Shiping He ◽

Daoman Xiang

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Retinopathy Of Prematurity ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Screening Strategy ◽

Extremely Low Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants ◽

Group A ◽

The Mean

Purpose. To convey the need for a revised screening strategy for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) for extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants in China.Design. A retrospective longitudinal study.Methods. The medical charts of infants with a birth weight (BW) of less than 1 kg were reviewed. The infants were divided into three groups: group A, without ROP; group B, with ROP but not up to type 1 prethreshold or threshold ROP; group C, with type 1 prethreshold or threshold ROP. Data collected included gender, gestational age (GA), BW, postmenstrual age (PMA), age of onset of ROP, and age at which treatment was carried out, if required.Results. A total of 77 infants were involved. Fifty-six infants developed ROP at any stage and 38 infants developed type 1 prethreshold or threshold ROP. The mean BW and GA of infants in group A were significantly different compared with groups B and C. The mean PMA of onset of ROP in infants who developed mild ROP was 37 weeks compared with 34 weeks for infants who developed severe ROP.Conclusion. ELBW infants have a higher incidence of ROP in China which highlights the need for optimizing neonatal care for these infants. In ELBW infants, ROP tends to develop more severely when it occurs earlier. It is necessary for ELBW infants, especially for those with a BW less than 800 g or a GA less than 25 weeks, to be initially screened at an earlier time.

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