Clinical Course and Lung Function Abnormalities During Development of Neonatal Chronic Lung Disease

Despite the considerable advances in the prevention and management of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD) persists as one of the major complications in premature infants who require prolonged mechanical ventilation (1-3). Moreover, the increasing survival of very immature infants has produced an increase in the number of infants with CLD, with variations in incidence among institutions that range from 15 to 50% in infants with birth weights lower than 1500 g (4-8).