Abstract
Regular rhythmic breathing requires a patent airway; central respiratory drive originating from respiratory centers in the brainstem modulated by input from peripheral neural and chemical receptors; and coordinated effective functioning of the muscles of respiration. Changes in arterial PCO2, PO2, and pH acts on neural and chemical receptors and inputs from these centers are integrated by the respiratory center in brainstem, which then send signals to the respiratory muscles to maintain airway patency and regulate the level of ventilation. The immature brainstem respiratory centers in preterm infants have an attenuated responses to carbon dioxide and a paradoxical response to hypoxia that results in apnea rather than the hyperventilation observed in term infants and adults [2,5-7]. This immaturity of breathing responses affects central and peripheral
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