RESPONSE TO BRONCHODILATORS IN CLINICALLY STABLE 1-YEAR OLD PATIENTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

Bronchodilators are often used in the treatment of patients with bronc hopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, few studies evaluate their effic acy in patients with stable disease beyond the newborn period. Therefo re, pulmonary function was measured before and after aerosol treatment with salbutamol (0.25 ml Ventolin 0.5%) and subsequently after aeroso l with ipratropium bromide (0.25 ml Atrovent 0.025%). Studies were per formed at the corrected postnatal age of 52 +/- 2 weeks in 52 patients who had been ventilated after birth because of newborn lung disease. Twenty-two of these 52 patients had developed BPD. Pulmonary function was measured after sedation and using the PEDS system. Expiratory resi stance (median 52.1 versus 39.1 cmH(2)O/1/s; P <.008) and inspiratory resistance (median 42.5 vs 27.8 cmH(2)O/l/s; P <.04) were significantl y worse in BPD patients at the age of 1 year. Half of the BPD patients had a decrease in pulmonary resistance after salbutamol. However, the re was no statistically significant decrease in pulmonary resistance a fter salbutamol or ipratropium in the BPD patients as a group. After s albutamol pulmonary resistance significantly worsened in the patients who did not develop BPD. Conclusion Although individual patients may b enefit, routine administration of bronchodilators seems not warranted in stable BPD patients at the age of 1 year.