ABSTRACT
Infants who are born at a very early stage of development often experience respiratory failure because of their immature lungs, primitive respiratory drive, and susceptibility to infection. Survival of these infants has improved considerably in recent years owing to major advances in perinatal care, including widespread use of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment, postnatal surfactant replacement, and improved ventilatory and nutritional support. Yet the need for prolonged assisted ventilation in such infants frequently results in a chronic form of lung disease that was first described by Northway and associates as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (1).
