Carbon monoxide production in ventilated premature infants weighing less than 1500 g

Abstract

Mean pulmonary excretion rate of carbon monoxide in 13 premature babies on ventilators was significantly higher (p<0.001) than that of 19 healthy infants born at full term. This correlated with carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations in blood, indicating that the premature infants on ventilators produced abnormally large amounts of bilirubin.