preterm infants
Clinical teaching and practical ideas for your next study session.
How Oxygen Toxicity Disrupts Lung Development in Preterm Infants
Why can life-saving oxygen contribute to BPD? Follow the mechanism from reactive oxygen species to inflammatory injury, impaired alveolar septation, and altered pulmonary vascular growth—while keeping oxygen toxicity in its proper, multifactorial context.
Pneumatosis in NEC: How to Decide When a Preterm Infant Needs Surgery
A preterm infant with pneumatosis, portal venous gas, bloody stool, and shock needs more than a Bell-stage label. This case discussion connects the mechanism of intramural gas to bedside escalation, clarifies when surgical consultation should become urgent, and avoids the traps of waiting for free air or blaming the feed.
When a 28-Week Preterm Infant Needs More Oxygen: Is the PDA Really Driving the Deterioration?
At 21 days, a 28-week infant with rising oxygen needs, a continuous murmur, and pulmonary congestion may have a hemodynamically important PDA—but the murmur is not the diagnosis. This case discussion shows how to separate ductal pulmonary overcirculation from sepsis, evolving lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension, then use echocardiography together with the clinical picture to judge whether closure is likely to help.