BPD

GatorNurse

Anyone here have a preemie diagnosed with BPD?

 Caroline had a chest xray today and it showed some haziness. They are giving her a few doses of Lasix, in hopes that its just fluid on the lungs & the Lasix will clear it up. The nurse (our favorite nurse!) said if it doesn't clear up, then it could be BPD. I don't know much about it, and although she printed me out some info, I wanted to see what you guys had to say about it. Caroline doesn't have many of the risks factors (in regards to gestational age, birth weight, high levels of O2 concentration, etc) and she was only on the vent for 4 days. She does have kind of a high heart rate and she's been struggling lately with weaning from the high flow cannula. 

Thanks!

 (BTW, she was born at 28 w 3 d, and she's currently 33 w 4 d)

HEmery

Walker has BPD. He was born at 25 weeks GA and yes, he was on the vent for a long time. He just got moved to CPAP (3 days short of 9 weeks old).

What damage is done to his lungs but over time he will outgrow it, they say. He might come out of this with asthma and if that is the least of our worries, we'll  be fine with that!

Mrs. Alice

My smaller twin (2lbs at birth, 28w4d) was diagnosed with it in the NICU.  He also was having trouble weaning off the cannula.  CXR showed what they told me was BPD.  He had two doses of Lasix.  Eventually they figured out that he did just the same on or off the 02, so it was d/c'd.  He usually just had issues surrounding feedings, but quickly out grew that right before his EDD.  He was on the vent for 3+ weeks, cpap for almost 2 weeks, and cannula on and off for 4 weeks.  He's been doing great, no respiratory issues since he's been home so I kind of question the diagnosis for him.

kelkel09

My DS has it. He was on the vent for months. He couldn't last more than a few days everytime they tried to extubate him. He ended up needing a trach. His case is more severe. Many babies with BPD will simply outgrow it. It sounds like your DD is already doing pretty well if she is on nasal cannula.

bhilyer

Our  NICU gives a dx of BPD for any baby that requires O2 support for more than 28 days.  

One of my guys has BPD.  He was on the vent for 3 (maybe 4?) days and then in an O2 environment forever.  He was put in a crib and on nasal cannula after his EDD.

 We are still on O2 at home 9.5 months later.  What I've learned about BPD is that there is no textbook case and there can be other factors that contribute to how well a baby does.  My guy also has a PFO which caused him to develop Pulmonary Hypertension which further complicates his BPD.

My advice is to:

~talk to your neo.

~Does she have a heart murmur?  If so, have them check for shunting of the blood.  A murmur can cause the blood to not flow properly and not get oxygenated in the lungs.

 

Good luck!  Please keep us updated and come back with more questions if you need to

 

ETA - BPD babies are prone to holding excess fluid in their lungs.  H had SO many doses of Lasix while in the NICU.  There was always a "honeymoon" period right after his doses.  I'd always think "this is it!" but then he'd regress.  It wasn't until they discovered what was going on with is PFO and PHT that he turned the corner.

Also, H is on a daily diuretic at home to help with fluid retention.  Our pulmonologist can't say how long he'll need the meds.

Lastly, if it is BPD you'll get tired of hearing that it just takes time and weight gain.  That seems to be the answer to everything preemie related!  My guy is just over 11 pounds and finally showing signs of getting close to ditching the O2 for good. 

GatorNurse

She had a PDA but it closed with 1 dose of Indocin. They actually did a repeat echo last week to ensure that it hadn't reopened. Everything looked fine, they said. No mention of PFO or any pulm hypertension.

KatFCo

My daughter (born at 23w6d) was diagnosed with BPD. She wasn't on a vent for long, but had a nasal cannula and struggled to get off it. She went home with it and didn't grow out of it until she was about 8 weeks adjusted. She's now 4 and has little trouble.

Some residual effects can be a greater risk of illness during the winter months--not just because, as preemies their immune systems are weaker, but also because they are at greater risk for respiratory ailments. The doctor may recommend Synagis and isolation during cold and flu season. They will probably also keep an eye on her eyes for ROP, which can be caused by too much oxygen.

My daughter does have asthma, and needs an inhaler at times, but it's very controllable. Every case is different, but BPD isn't necessarily something to cause great concern.

lemen99

Andrew had BPD.

He was on a vent for 10 days, on CPAP forever, the the cannula a while.  

He came home 3 weeks after his due date and did not need oxygen at home.  He has not had any lung issues since leaving the NICU.  I don't know if he has asthma, but not that we can tell yet.

kaylaaimee

Scarlette had it. She was on the vent for a month. When it started she had white out lungs- I there was not one bit of black on the Xrays. They did albuterol treatments in her vent, more steroids and chest PT. She came home without oxygen and hasn't had any lung issues thus far, although she is receiving synagis shots to help prevent RSV.

I remember being really scared when they diagnosed her with it but it's been much less of an issue than I had anticipated it would be, praise the Lord.