Abnormal Ventilatory Responses in Adults Born Prematurely

Abstract

To the Editor: Perinatal hyperoxia in preterm infants is associated with several well-known sequelae, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia and retinopathy of prematurity. Hyperoxia also induces alterations in cardiopulmonary control (e.g., preterm infants treated with hyperoxia lack normal ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hyperoxia).1,2 It has not been determined whether these impairments diminish with age. Thus, we sought to determine whether or not ventilatory dysfunction persists in adults who were born prematurely. We measured the ventilatory responses to 5 minutes of isocapnic, isobaric hypoxia (in which the fraction of inspired oxygen [FiO2] was 0.12) and hyperoxia (in which the . . .