Characteristic of exocrine function of the pancreas in premature newborns

Premature babies in early postnatal ontogenesis are characterized by the immaturity of many functional systems, including the digestive system. The imperfection of the motor-evacuation function of the gastrointestinal tract in them is combined with insufficient activity of the enzyme systems, the peculiarities of the formation of the microbial landscape of the colon, which contributes to the development of digestive dysfunctions and complicates enteral feeding, especially in deeply premature infants. In order to determine the parameters pancreatic elastase (PE) in premature infants, depending on the gestational age and the nature of feeding, 135 newborns were examined (108 premature infants with a gestational age of 22 to 32 weeks and 27 term infants). All children underwent a general clinical examination, as well as a study for PE on the 13–14th day of life, when the volume of enteral nutrition reached 70 percent or more. Analysis of the study results revealed a clear relationship between the degree of prematurity and the severity of pancreatic insufficiency. A clear relationship between fecal elastase indicators and the type of feeding was determined. The most favorable situation is observed in exclusively breastfed children, who have the highest fecal elastase values, which practically do not differ from the control values. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of these Institutes. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Key words: premature, elastase, pancreatic insufficiency.

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HYPERGLYCEMIAAS AN INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY (ROP): A COHORT STUDY

10.36106/ijsr/2121754 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 54-57

Author(s):

Kali Shankar Das ◽

Athokpam Poireiton ◽

Niladri Sekhar Mandal ◽

Samim Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Blood Glucose ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Independent Risk Factor ◽

Logistic Regression Model ◽

Bivariate Analysis ◽

Premature Babies ◽

Average Blood Glucose

OBJECTIVE: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a severe morbidity that can lead to blindness in premature babies. Neonatal hyperglycemia has been related to the growth of ROP in a variety of studies. However, there aren't many observational trials to show whether hyperglycemia is linked to ROP in the absence of other comorbidities. The aim of this research was to see if hyperglycemia in premature babies is linked to ROP in a different way. STUDY DESIGN: Premature infants (<1500 g or⩽ 32 weeks gestational age) were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. All demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. Bedside whole-blood glucose concentration was measured every 8 hours daily for rst 7 , days of live. For any glucose reading <50 or>150 mg dl 1 serum sample was sent to the laboratory for conrmation. Hyperglycemia was dened as any blood glucose level⩾ 150 mg dl − 1. ROP patients were compared with non-ROP patients in a bivariate analysis. Variables signicantly associated with ROP were studied in a logistic regression model. RESULT:Atotal of 100 patients were enrolled with gestational age <32weeks and birth weight <1500g. Forty-eight patients (48%) were identied with hyperglycemia. On eye examination, 30 cases (30%) had ROP (19 with stage 1, 10 with stage 2 and 1 with stage 3). There were more cases of ROPin the hyperglycemia group compared with the euglycemia group (45.83% vs 15.38%, P = 0.007). Patients who developed ROP had signicantly higher maximum and average glucose concentrations when compared with non-ROP patients. Multiple factors have been associated with ROP on bivariate analysis, including gestational age, exposure to oxygen, respiratory support and poor weight gain. However, in a logistic regression model including all signicant variables, average blood glucose in the rst week of life was the factor independently associated with ROPwith an odds ratio of: 1.77 (95% condence interval: 1.08 to 2.86), P= 0.024 CONCLUSION: In a prospective cohort study of premature infants, elevated average blood glucose concentrations in the rst week of life is an independent risk factor associated with the development of ROP.

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Might the Mothers of Premature Babies Feed Them and Devote Some Milk to the Milk Bank?

International Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1155/2018/3628952 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pasqua Anna Quitadamo ◽

Giuseppina Palumbo ◽

Liliana Cianti ◽

Matteo Luigi Napolitano ◽

Ciro Coviello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Psychological Trauma ◽

Premature Baby ◽

Single Donor ◽

Premature Babies ◽

Milk Bank ◽

Starting Point ◽

Healthy Growth

The breast milk is the gold standard food for the feeding of the premature baby: it is the natural way to provide excellent nutritional, immunological, and biological nutriment so as to facilitate a healthy growth and the development of the infants. When the breast milk is not available, the alternative is represented by the donated milk. The mothers of premature infants are important opportunity if we consider the fact that they could devote some milk both because they provide a food which is closer to the needs of the vulnerable category of newborns and because it is, for the mothers, a way to overcome the detachment and the psychological trauma of a premature birth. There are no data on this kind of donation. The aim of the study is to evaluate the contribution of the milk donation to the HMB of CSS by women who gave birth to premature infants of gestational age <35 weeks and to analyze the macronutrient composition of the “preterm” donated milk. The CSS HMB has recruited 659 donors totalling 2236 liters of donated milk over a period of 7 years. 38 donors (5.7%) gave birth to a gestational age <35 weeks. Almost 20% of the donated milk comes from mothers of premature babies and this is a very important fact because it shows the huge potential belonging to this category of mothers. Taking into account the parameter regarding the birth weight, it was found that VLBW mothers contributed for 56% to preterm donation while ELBW mothers contributed for 41%. By evaluating the variable gestational age, about 40% of the average total donation derives from mothers who gave birth before the 25 weeks, while a contribution of 46% is attributable to the category of newborns with a GA between 25 and 32 weeks. Besides, some other exceptional examples can be outlined. Regarding the correlation analysis DM resulted in negative correlation with GA weeks (r=-0.31, p=0.058) and with BW g (r=-0.30, p=0.068) achieving values which are very close to the significance. The comparison between the donor volume averages of the preterm and full-term groups is statistically significant. The composition data are in line with the literature: there is an increase by 18 % in the protein component of the milk deriving from the mothers of the premature infants; the gap in carbohydrates is less significant (5-6%) and the gap in calories is similarly low being only 2% higher than the single donor milk and 11% more than the pooled milk. The data on the lipids line up to single donor term milk, while it grows by 24% compared to the pooled one. The study shows that even at very low or extreme gestational age it is possible to obtain an appropriate production of breast milk. This awareness becomes a fundamental starting point for the activation in a standardized way of all the strategies of promotion and support of food that have proven effective with the HM in NICU.

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THE POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COAGULATION SYSTEM IN THE PREMATURE INFANT

10.1055/s-0038-1643606 ◽

1987 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M Andrew ◽

B A Paes ◽

R A Milner ◽

P J Powers ◽

M Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Premature Infant ◽

Postnatal Development ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Reference Values ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Term Infant ◽

Full Term ◽

Screening Tests ◽

Coagulation System ◽

Term Infants

A cohort study was performed to determine the postnatal development of the coagulation system in the “healthy” premature infant. Mothers were approached for consent and a total of 132 premature infants were entered into the study. The group consisted of 64 infants with gestational ages of 34-36 weeks (prem 1) and 68 infants whose gestational age was 33 weeks or less (prem 2). Demographic information and a 2 ml blood sample were obtained on days 1, 5, 30, 90, and 180. Plasma was fractionated and stored at −70°C for batch assaying of the following tests: screening tests, PT, APTT; factor assays (biologic (B)); fibrinogen, II, V, VII, VIII:C, IX, X, XI, XII, prekallikrein, high molecular weight kininogen, XIII (immunologic (I)); inhibitors (I), antithrombin III, aα2-antiplasmin, α2-macroglobulin, α-anti-trypsin, Cl esterase inhibitor, protein C, protein S, and the fibrinolytic system (B); plasminogen. We have previously reported an identical study for 118 full term infants. The large number of premature and full term infants studied at varying time points allowed us to determine the following: 1) coagulation tests vary with the gestational age and postnatal age of the infant; 2) each factor has a unique postnatal pattern of maturation; 3) near adult values are achieved by 6 months of age; 4) premature infants have a more rapid postnatal development of the coagulation system compared to the full term infant; and 5) the range of reference values for two age groups of premature infants has been established for each of the assays. These reference values will provide a basis for future investigation of specific hemorrhagic and thrombotic problems in the newborn infant.

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Comparison of absolute neutrophil count between premature and term infants

Paediatrica Indonesiana ◽

10.14238/pi44.5.2004.197-200 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 197

Author(s):

Ahmad Faisal ◽

Guslihan D Tjipta ◽

Bidasari Lubis ◽

Dachrul Aldy

Keyword(s):

Premature Infants ◽

Absolute Neutrophil Count ◽

Neutrophil Count ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Early Onset ◽

Complete Blood Count ◽

Newborn Infants ◽

The Body ◽

Term Infants ◽

Cross Sectional

Background Neutrophils are very important in the body defenseagainst bacterial infection. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) couldbe used for the recognition of early-onset bacterial sepsis inneonates.Objective The aim of this study was to compare the value of ANCbetween premature and term infants, to assess the prevalence ofearly-onset neutropenia in premature infants and its relationshipwith prematurity, and to find out the correlation between gesta-tional age and ANC.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during Februaryto May 2003. Subjects were newborn infants with gestational ageof less than 37 weeks who were born in Adam Malik and PirngadiHospitals, Medan. Newborn infants with severe asphyxia (5-minuteApgar score of less than 4), fever, seizure, and maternalhypertension were excluded. Complete blood count was done bymeans of automatic cell counter (Micros (R) , Germany). Term healthyinfants were used as control subjects.Results ANC differed significantly between both groups (p=0.0001).The prevalence of early-onset neutropenia in premature infantswas 9% (95%CI 0.065;0.21). Prematurity was related with theincidence of neutropenia with a prevalence ratio of 1.1. Therewas a weak positive correlation between gestational age andANC with an r-value of 0.49 (p=0.0001).Conclusions ANC in premature infants differs from that in terminfants. The prevalence of early-onset neutropenia in prematureinfants was 9% (95%CI 0.065;0.21). Prematurity is related with theincidence of early-onset neutropenia in newborn infants. There isa correlation between gestational age and ANC

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Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Otherwise Healthy Prematurely Born Infants: A Forgotten Majority

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1637762 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 (06) ◽

pp. 541-544 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Bosco Paes

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Burden Of Illness ◽

Hospital Costs ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Term Infants ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Syncytial Virus

AbstractHealthy, premature infants ≤35 weeks' gestational age (wGA) are universally recognized to be at an increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Serious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection imposes an additional burden of illness on these infants following hospitalization. Incurred morbidities relative to term infants include longer lengths of hospital stay, admission to intensive care, and need for oxygen and mechanical ventilation, all of which are associated with increased hospital costs. The highest morbidities are experienced by premature infants who are youngest (<3 months' chronological age) and are of lower gestational age. Short- and long-term follow-up indicates that healthy preterm infants both of lower gestational age and who are late preterm have obstructive lung function at baseline, which is further compromised by RSV-related infection during infancy. There is increasing evidence that childhood exposure to an episode of RSV infection may set the stage for an abnormal respiratory function trajectory, which, in adulthood, leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Healthy premature infants <32 wGA merit RSV prophylaxis based on existing data, whereas moderate- and high-risk preterm infants 32 to 35 wGA should be selectively and cost-effectively targeted for prophylaxis using validated risk scoring tools and country-specific thresholds for funding.

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The recombinant human erythropoietin therapy for extremely and very low birth weight infants

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Immunopathology ◽

10.24287/1726-1708-2019-18-2-75-82 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 75-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. R. Sharafutdinova ◽

E. N. Balashova ◽

O. V. Ionov ◽

A. R. Kirtbaya ◽

J. M. Golubtsova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Recombinant Human Erythropoietin ◽

Very Low Birth Weight ◽

Control Group ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants ◽

Human Erythropoietin ◽

Premature Babies ◽

Anemia Of Prematurity

Anemia of prematurity is a common pathology in premature infants. The prevalence of anemia of prematurity is inversely proportional to the gestational age and body weight at birth. The pathogenetic importance of impaired erythropoietin (EPO) production in anemia of prematurity provides the rationale for therapy with erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) including recombinant EPO. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of different regimens of recombinant human erythropoietin in extremely and very low birth weight infants (ELBW and VLBW) was studied. Research has been set as a prospective analysis of 133 VLBW and ELBW infants (in the period from December 2017 to February 2019). Gestational age (GA) of the children ranged from 26 to 33 weeks, of these, GA of 75 children (56%) was 30 weeks or less. Depending on the treatment of anemia of prematurity all infants were divided into 5 groups: group 1 (n = 26) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 3 day of life 200 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 2 (n = 21) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 3 day of life 400 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 3 (n = 37) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 8 day of life 200 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 4 (n = 18) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 8 day of life 400 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 5 (n = 31) premature infants who did not receive treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (control group). Subgroups of children of gestational age ≤ 30 weeks were identified in each group. The groups and subgroups did not differ significantly in gestational age, weight, birth length, and Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes of life, p > 0.05. Also, there were no statistically significant differences in the age of the 1st transfusion, the frequency and total volume of transfusions, the duration of respiratory therapy, the duration of hospitalization, including treatment in NICU, body weight and age at discharge. The frequency of retinopathy of prematurity stage ≥ 3, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia of moderate and severe severity, intraventricular hemorrhages of varying severity, necrotizing enterocolitis was not statistically significant in the study groups and subgroups. Statistically significant differences in the concentration of hemoglobin in the peripheral blood of premature infants were revealed at discharge. In the control group, children had a lower level of hemoglobin at discharge (94 g/l) compared with the groups with early appointment of ESAs (109 g/l and 107 g/l in groups 1 and 2, respectively, P0-1 = 0.048 and P0-2 = 0.047) due to newborn GA ≤ 30 weeks. It is preferable to use of the drug ESAs at a dose of 200 IU/kg 3 p/week p/, starting from the 3rd day of life. The effectiveness of erythropoietin therapy, the time of its start and various treatment regimens remain controversial issues that require further study. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of the National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov.

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The influence of birth weight and gestational age on kidney function in premature infants

Российский педиатрический журнал ◽

10.46563/1560-9561-2021-24-4-222-230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 222-230

Author(s):

Bella D. Tsintsadze ◽

Klavdiya A. Kazakova ◽

Vladislav V. Chernikov ◽

Andrey P. Fisenko ◽

Aleksey N. Tsygin

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Serum Creatinine ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Full Term ◽

Enzymatic Method ◽

Term Infants ◽

Blood Creatinine

Introduction. The impact of prematurity on the functional state of the kidneys in infants has not yet been sufficiently studied. Aim. To determine the influence of birth weight and gestational age on the creatinine level in the blood and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in early childhood. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted on medical records of 316 children aged from 1 month to 1.5 years, hospitalized at the Department of Early Childhood Pathology (National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health, Moscow) from 2012 to 2020 due to consequences of perinatal CNS damage. Children without congenital kidney diseases, with normal urine values in medical history, without structural abnormalities on ultrasound were included in this study. Serum creatinine was determined by the enzymatic method, GFR - by the Schwartz’s formula using a coefficient of 0.413, as well as, previously proposed coefficients of 0.33 for premature and 0.44 for full-term infants. Results. In premature infants, notably born with extremely low birth weight and very low birth weight, at the age of 1 year, serum creatinine is reduced compared to full-term infants, GFR in deep-premature infants exceeds the level of GFR in full-term infants by the year. The results allow concluding the method of calculating GFR by formulas based on serum creatinine to be invalid. Due to possible hyperfiltration in preterm infants, they need regular monitoring urine tests, blood pressure, due to the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Conclusions. It is necessary to search for other methods for determining GFR in extremely premature infants. The established indices of the blood creatinine content can be used as reference values for different periods of gestation and body weight at birth in institutions using the enzymatic method for determining blood creatinine. The obtained GFR indices as a reference can be recommended for full-term and premature babies born after 32 weeks of gestation and with a birth weight of more than 1500 g.

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Lymphocyte-Specific Biomarkers Associated with Preterm Birth and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

10.1101/2020.11.03.367201 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Soumyaroop Bhattacharya ◽

Jared A. Mereness ◽

Andrea M. Baran ◽

Ravi S. Misra ◽

Derick R. Peterson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

T Cells ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Cd8 T Cells ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Full Term ◽

Oxygen Utilization ◽

Term Infants ◽

Transcriptomic Data ◽

The University

AbstractMany premature babies who are born with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) go on to develop Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and later Post-Prematurity Respiratory Disease (PRD) at one year corrected age, characterized by persistent or recurrent lower respiratory tract symptoms frequently related to inflammation and viral infection. Transcriptomic profiles were generated from sorted peripheral blood CD8+ T cells of preterm and full-term infants enrolled with consent in the NHLBI Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) at the University of Rochester and the University at Buffalo. We identified outcome-related gene expression patterns following standard methods to identify markers for oxygen utilization and BPD as outcomes in extremely premature infants. We further identified predictor gene sets for BPD based on transcriptomic data adjusted for gestational age at birth (GAB).RNA-Seq analysis was completed for CD8+ T cells from 145 subjects. Among the subjects with highest risk for BPD (born at <29 weeks gestational age (GA); n=72), 501 genes were associated with oxygen utilization. In the same set of subjects, 571 genes were differentially expressed in subjects with a diagnosis of BPD and 105 genes were different in BPD subjects as defined by physiologic challenge. A set of 92 genes could predict BPD with a moderately high degree of accuracy. We consistently observed dysregulation of NRF2, HIPPO and CD40-associated pathways in BPD. Using gene expression data from both premature and full-term subjects (n=116), we identified a 28 gene set that predicted the PRD status with a moderately high level of accuracy.Transcriptomic data from sort-purified peripheral blood CD8+ T cells from 145 preterm and full-term infants identified sets of molecular markers associated with independent development of BPD in extremely premature infants at high risk for the disease and of PRD among the preterm and full-term subjects.

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MATERNAL, CORD, AND SERIAL VENOUS BLOOD: PROTEIN-BOUND IODINE, THYROID-BINDING GLOBULIN, THYROID-BINDING ALBUMIN, AND PREALBUMIN VALUES IN PREMATURE INFANTS

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.35.5.759 ◽

1965 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 759-764

Author(s):

Ralph E. Perry ◽

Joan E. Hodgman ◽

Paul Starr

Keyword(s):

Cord Blood ◽

Premature Infant ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Venous Blood ◽

Blood Protein ◽

Term Infants ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Weight Groups ◽

Abrupt Rise

1. P.B.I. and thyroid-binding protein levels in mothers delivering premature infants of varying weights are the same as those reported for mothers delivering at term. The maternal T.B.G. is from 50-60% greater than the T.B.G. of the cord blood. 2. The cord P.B.I. in the smallest infants is significantly lower than their mothers' and is lower than that of the babies weighing over 1,500 gm. 3. The characteristic newborn P.B.I. pattern of abrupt rise in the 48 hours after birth followed by a more gradual fall has been established for the premature infant. The magnitude of rise is less in the smallest prematures. The increase in P.B.I. following delivery is found in all weight groups and does not appear to be associated with the gestational age. 4. T.B.G. levels in prematures are the same as those reported in term infants, and are stable throughout the first 10 days. The rise in P.B.I. cannot be attributed to a change in T.B.G. 5. A pattern of alterations in T.B.A. and T.B.P.A. has been described.

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Longitudinal Evaluation of Pulmonary Function in Premature Infants

Proceedings of IMPRS ◽

10.18060/25703 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Abigail Settle ◽

Christina Tiller ◽

Jeffrey Bjerregaard ◽

Marylyn Robinson ◽

James Slaven ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Function ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Vital Capacity ◽

Full Term ◽

Z Score ◽

Alveolar Volume ◽

Term Infants ◽

Airway Function ◽

Catch Up

Background: Infants born premature have decreased pulmonary function compared to full-term infants. Longitudinal infant studies are needed to determine whether impaired pulmonary function following premature birth demonstrates catch-up growth. This study measured airway and parenchymal function in infants born premature at approximately 6 months and 1 year of age to assess growth and the effects of gestational age (GA) and sex. Methods: 37 infants born premature participated in two study visits (V1 and V2) at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. While sleeping, forced expiratory maneuvers were preformed to measure airway function. DLCO, diffusion capacity of the lung, and VA, alveolar volume, were measured under conditions of room air. Z scores were calculated to compare infants born premature and full-term, adjusting for size, race, and sex. Demographics: The subjects consisted of 21 females and 16 males. There were 7 subjects born at 24 – 28 weeks, 6 at 29 – 31 weeks, and 24 at 32 – 36 weeks. Pulmonary Testing Results: Variable Z Score V1 V2 V2-V1 Male Female GA DLCO -0.17 (-0.59, 0.26) *-0.75 (-1.18, -0.31) *-0.58 (-1.03, -0.12) *-0.86 (-1.42, -0.30) -0.05 (-0.53, 0.43) *0.13 (0.001,0.28) VA 0.06 (-0.24, 0.45) -0.24 (-0.70, 0.23) -0.30 (-0.72 ,0.14) -0.14 (-0.71, 0.43) -0.04 (-0.53, 0.45) 0.09 (-0.05, 0.23) FVC *-0.38 (-0.60, -0.17) **-1.05 (-1.36, -0.74) **-0.67 (-0.98, -0.36) **-0.71 (-1.04, -0.38) **-0.72 (-1.01, -0.44) 0.07 (-0.01, 0.15) FEF50 **-0.88 (-1.15, -0.62) **-1.36 (-1.63, -1.08) *-0.47 (-0.80, -0.14) **-1.12 (-1.44, -0.79) **-1.12 (-1.40, -0.84) **0.15 (0.07,0.23) FEF75 **-0.57 (-0.88, -0.26) **-1.16 (-1.48, -0.83) *-0.59 (-0.93, -0.24) **-0.76 (-1.16, -0.35) **-0.97 (-1.32, -0.62) **0.21 (0.11,0.31) * = p < 0.05 ** = p < 0.001 DLCO was decreased in male subjects compared to female subjects and male full-term infants. VA was not significantly different between subjects and full-term infants. Compared to full-term infants, subjects had decreased forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory flow at 50% and 75% vital capacity (FEF50 and FEF75). DLCO, FVC, FEF50, and FEF75 exhibited a significant decrease in pulmonary function from V1 to V2 among subjects. Gestational age showed a positive relationship for DLCO, FEF50, and FEF75. Conclusion and Potential Impact: The subjects did not exhibit catch-up growth, or an increase in z score from V1 to V2, in parenchymal and airway function for DLCO, FVC, FEF50, and FEF75. Gestational age and sex were factors affecting pulmonary function. As premature infants are born with lower pulmonary function than full-term infants, it is important to understand how lungs continue to develop after release from the NICU.

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