PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN INFANTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA: CAUSES, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a leading chronic pathology of premature infants, which changes the structure of the lungs and disrupts the development of pulmonary vessels. The most important cardiovascular complication of BPD is the development of pulmonary hypertension, which is diagnosed in about 25 % of severely ill infants. Pulmonary hypertension associated with BPD develops due to lung vascular abnormalities and remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature, both of which lead to an increase in vascular resistance and the development of right ventricular heart failure. The occurrence of this complication worsens the prognosis of survival in infants with BPD, prolongs the total duration of hospital stay, adversely affects long-term somatic and neurological development and increases the frequency of re-hospitalizations. All this justifies the need for timely diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension in children with BPD. This review presents new data, for the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of pulmonary hypertension associated with BPD.