الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Retinopathy of Prematurity, Previously called retrolental fibroplasia, is a retinal vascular disease that occurs only in prematurely born infants. Out come can range from complete resolution to blindness. Soon after the recognition of retinopathy of prematurity in 1942, it reached epidemic proportions and was regarded as the principal cause of blindness among infants. There was a substantial decline in new cases of retinopathy of prematurity after the uncontrolled use of supplemental oxygen was curtailed but at the cost of reduced survival for very low birth weight infants. Recently, observers have called attention to a ”second epidemic” of retinopathy of prematurity and speculated about the causes, effects and implications of the increased incidence. However, there is little published documentation of the actual incidence. Infants who requires admission to a new born intensive care unit are said to be at 20 times greater risk for auditory impairment then their healthy counterparts. Auditory brainstem responses have been proposed as the basis of systematic screening technique for detection of auditory impairment in the N.I.C.U .. The ABR method is feasible for NICU patients, and a significantly high percentage of infants leaving the NICU fail this auditory screening test. We previously noted an association between failure on the auditory test and prematurity or intraventricular hemorrhage, but many of these patients died and the significance of these relationships was not established. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has become a substantial problem among very low birth (VLBW) infants, especially with their increasing survival rates. This disorder is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, including an increased incidence of poor cognitive outcome and growth, cerebral palsy, increased risk for sudden death, and feeding problems. Recurrent, unrecognized episodes of hypoxemia have been implicated as contributing to some of these sequelae. |