ABSTRACT
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was first described in 1967 in a report documenting the clinical, radiologic, and pathological changes seen in prematurely born infants with severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) who had been treated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and warm, humidified 80-100% concentrations of oxygen (1). This report documented the appearance of a new, chronic pulmonary syndrome that was associated with the use of mechanical ventilation and supplemental oxygen treatment of these infants for longer than 6 days. In 1967, RDS was the leading cause of death in newborn infants. The natural course of RDS before the use of mechanical ventilation was either death by 4-5 days of age or complete recovery by 7 days of age, with a normal chest radiograph (2). The use of mechanical ventilation and supplemental oxygen treatment for respiratory failure secondary to RDS in the newborn infant was a continuation of the historical desire to decrease newborn infant mortality by employing improvements in medical care and applications of new technology.
