Ramya Ramachandra, Alisa Arunamata, Amanda Moy, Michael C. Tracy, Yinyao Ji, Derek Boothroyd, Rachel K. Hopper
Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.
United States
Journal of Perinatology
J Perinatol 2026;
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-026-02580-6
Abstract
Objective: Premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are at risk for pulmonary hypertension (PH). We sought to evaluate outcomes of a PH screening protocol.
Study design: Single-center retrospective cohort study of premature infants with ≥moderate BPD from 6/2017 to 11/2022 subject to an institutional PH screening protocol that included echocardiogram and serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels measured at 36 weeks postmenstrual age.
Result: Screening echocardiography detected PH in 15% (95% CI 10.0%, 22.1%). Multivariate analysis identified an association between lower gestational age and incidence of PH. There was no difference in right ventricular systolic function metrics among infants with PH compared to those without. Sensitivity and specificity of serum NT-proBNP were 57% and 45%, respectively.
Conclusion: Echocardiographic screening can detect unrecognized PH in infants before significant decrement of right ventricular performance, while serum NT-proBNP may not be a reliable screening tool for PH in infants with BPD.
Category
Class III. Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Lung Disease
Diagnostic Testing for Pulmonary Vascular Disease. Non-invasive Testing
Age Focus: Pediatric Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Fresh or Filed Publication: Fresh (PHresh). Less than 1-2 years since publication
Article Access
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