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L J Björklund

Publications and source records attributed to L J Björklund.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

A lung recruitment maneuver immediately before rescue surfactant therapy does not affect the lung mechanical response in immature lambs with respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In animals with acquired surfactant-deficiency, a recruitment maneuver by increased tidal volumes enhances the effect of exogenous surfactant. In contrast, in the preterm lamb model, hyperinflation early after birth impairs the effect of surfactant prophylaxis. Here we examined whether a lung recruitment maneuver just before surfactant would affect the response to rescue treatment in immature lambs with established respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). METHODS: Five pairs of preterm twin lambs with gestational age 127 days were delivered by cesarean section and supported by pressure-limited mechanical ventilation for 4 h. At 30 min of age, when all the lambs were in severe respiratory failure, they were treated with porcine surfactant, 200 mg x kg-1. One lamb in each pair was subjected to a lung recruitment maneuver consisting of five sustained inflations of 20 ml x kg-1 just before surfactant instillation. RESULTS: At 10 min after surfactant treatment, all the lambs showed a large improvement in oxygenation and an increase in inspiratory capacity and static compliance. Except for a transiently better oxygenation after surfactant therapy in the recruitment group (P < 0.05), there was no significant between-group differences in gas exchange or lung mechanics at any time point during the study. There was no difference in post mortem intrapulmonary air volume or alveolar expansion in histologic lung sections between groups. CONCLUSION: This small study does not show any positive or negative effect of a lung recruitment maneuver on the response to rescue surfactant therapy in immature animals with RDS.

Animals↗

The pressure at the lower inflexion point has no relation to airway collapse in surfactant-treated premature lambs.

BACKGROUND: The lower inflexion point (LIP) on the inspiratory part of the pressure-volume (PV) loop has been suggested to be related to the pressure at which air spaces collapse. Our hypothesis is that airway collapse might instead be assessed from the upper inflexion point on the expiratory part of the PV-loop (UIPexp), where lung volume starts to decrease significantly. We therefore examined whether there was a relation between LIP and UIPexp in premature surfactant-treated lambs. METHODS: Ten lambs, at 119-141 days of gestational age, were delivered by cesarean section and given 200 mg/kg modified natural porcine surfactant before the first breath. The lambs were then connected to a ventilator and PV-loops using airway pressures of 0-35-0 (ZEEP-loop) and 5-35-5 cmH2O (PEEP-loop) were obtained after lung recruitment at 15, 60 and 120 min after birth. From the loops, LIP, UIPexp, upper inflexion point of the inspiratory part of the loop (UIP insp), inspiratory capacity (IC) as well as inspiratory and expiratory maximal compliance of the respiratory system (Crs(insp) and Crs(exp)) were calculated. RESULTS: The ZEEP-loop showed a substantial hysteresis with a distinct LIP at 19+/-2 cmH2O (mean+/-SD), which was different (P<0.001) from UIPexp (9+/-2 cmH2O). The pressures at LIP and UIPexp were unrelated (r2=0.06). UIPinsp was located at 28+/-2 cmH2O. Crs(insp) was 2.1+/-0.6 ml x cmH2O(-1) x kg(-1), which was lower (P<0.001) than Crs(exp) (2.8+/-0.6 ml x cmH2O(-1) x kg(-1)). IC was 26+/-6 ml/kg. The PEEP-loop had a minimal hysteresis with an expiratory part coinciding with that of the ZEEP-loop. CONCLUSION: In surfactant-treated premature lambs the pressures at LIP and UIPexp are not related, showing that LIP does not indicate the pressure at which airways collapse.

Anesthesia↗

Lung recruitment at birth does not improve lung function in immature lambs receiving surfactant.

BACKGROUND: In mature animals with surfactant deficiency induced by lung lavage, the therapeutic effect of exogenous surfactant is enhanced by a lung recruitment maneuver. We then tested whether a lung recruitment maneuver at birth immediately before surfactant treatment would improve lung function also in preterm lambs with surfactant deficiency due to immaturity. METHODS: Ten newborn lambs with a gestational age of 127 days were randomized to receive surfactant either before the first breath or immediately after a lung recruitment maneuver consisting of five sustained inflations of 8, 16 or 32 ml/kg. Functional residual capacity was measured by sulfur hexafluoride washout, and inspiratory capacity as well as maximal compliance were obtained from a static expiratory pressure-volume curve after the lungs had been inflated to 35 cm H2O. In addition, blood gases were obtained. Measurements were made at 15, 45, 175, 135, 170 and 230 min after birth. Post mortem histological examinations of the lungs were performed in a blinded fashion. RESULTS: The lung recruitment maneuvers did not improve oxygenation. Inspiratory capacity, static compliance and functional residual capacity at 4 h, as well as post mortem intrapulmonary air volume, had an inverse relation to the size of inflations given at birth. There was also a negative correlation between size of inflations at birth and response to surfactant therapy, as assessed by lung microscopy. CONCLUSION: Lung recruitment at birth does not improve the response to surfactant in immature lambs, but may instead have an adverse effect on lung function and morphology.

Animals↗

Urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol ratio in diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in newborn infants.

Infants treated in neonatal intensive care units suffer an increased risk for invasive candidiasis, but the diagnosis is sometimes difficult. D-arabinitol is a metabolite of most pathogenic Candida species. An elevated urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol (DA/LA) ratio is a sensitive sign of invasive candidiasis in children with cancer, but the method has not been previously evaluated for newborn infants. We therefore enrolled 117 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit, and 411 urine samples were obtained on filter paper. The DA/LA ratio was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For 81 infants with no suspicion of superficial or invasive candidiasis, the urine DA/LA ratio was 2.7 +/- 0.7 (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]). The upper cutoff level was set at 4.8 (mean plus 3 SD). Of 22 infants with mucocutaneous candidiasis and not given systemic antifungal treatment, two had elevated DA/LA ratios, which normalized after removal of intravascular catheters. Eight other infants were given empiric antifungal treatment but had negative cultures; five of these had repeatedly elevated DA/LA ratios. Six infants with culture-positive invasive candidiasis all had one or more samples with elevated ratios. For seven infants, three with suspected and four with confirmed invasive candidiasis (for which follow-up samples were available), ratios normalized during antifungal treatment. In conclusion, urine DA/LA ratio determination is a rapid test and can be used for newborns. It is possibly more sensitive than fungal blood cultures in the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis and can also be used for monitoring the effect of antifungal treatment.

Candidiasis↗

Manual ventilation with a few large breaths at birth compromises the therapeutic effect of subsequent surfactant replacement in immature lambs.

The reason why some infants with respiratory distress syndrome fail to respond to surfactant, or respond only transiently, is incompletely understood. We hypothesized that resuscitation with large breaths at birth might damage the lungs and blunt the effect of surfactant. Five pairs of lamb siblings were delivered by cesarean section at 127-128 d of gestation. One lamb in each pair was randomly selected to receive six manual inflations of 35-40 mL/kg ("bagging") before the start of mechanical ventilation, a volume roughly corresponding to the inspiratory capacity of lamb lungs after prophylactic surfactant supplementation. Both siblings were given rescue porcine surfactant, 200 mg/kg, at 30 min of age. Blood gases and deflation pressure-volume (P-V) curves of the respiratory system were recorded until the lambs were killed at 4 h. The P-V curves became steeper after surfactant in the control group, but no such effect was seen in those subjected to bagging. At 4 h, inspiratory capacity and maximal deflation compliance were almost three times higher (p < 0.01) in the controls than in the bagged lambs. The latter were also more difficult to ventilate and tended to have less well expanded alveoli and more widespread lung injury in histologic sections. We conclude that a few inflations with volumes that are probably harmless in other circumstances might, when forced into the surfactant-deficient lung immediately at birth, compromise the effect of subsequent surfactant rescue treatment. Our findings challenge current neonatal resuscitation practice of rapidly establishing a normal lung volume by vigorous manual ventilation.

Animals↗

Changes in lung volume and static expiratory pressure-volume diagram after surfactant rescue treatment of neonates with established respiratory distress syndrome.

The effect of natural surfactant on respiratory system mechanics in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is incompletely understood, possibly because the analysis has usually been confined to the tidal breath. We studied 11 paralyzed neonates weighing 540 to 1,850 g before and approximately 30 min after surfactant, which was instilled at 4 to 41 h of age. Diagrams relating airway pressure to expired volume were obtained by having the infant exhale passively through a flowmeter, starting at 30 and ending at 0 cm H20 of pressure. An interrupter intermittently stopped the flow so that pressure could be recorded under static conditions. FRC was measured by sulfur hexafluoride washout, and TLC was calculated from FRC and the pressure-volume (P-V) curve. Ventilation homogeneity was assessed from the washout curve as pulmonary clearance delay (PCD). TLC increased by 10% or more in five infants, but it remained unchanged in the others. Median TLC was 19 ml/kg before and 21.5 ml/kg after surfactant (p = 0.39). The P-V curve became markedly steeper at low pressures after surfactant in most infants, the slope of the steepest segment, i.e., maximal compliance, increasing from 0.65 to 1.22 ml/cm H20/kg (medians, p = 0.008). Dynamic compliance (Cdyn) was unchanged at 0.28 ml/cm H20/kg, whereas specific dynamic compliance (Cdyn/FRC) decreased (p = 0.04). There was no significant immediate change in PCD. The findings imply that during the first 30 min surfactant acted mainly by stabilizing already ventilated air spaces.

Biological Products↗

Lung volumes and pressure-volume relations of the respiratory system in small ventilated neonates with severe respiratory distress syndrome.

Total lung capacity (TLC), inspiratory capacity (IC), functional residual capacity (FRC), and deflation pressure-volume (P-V) curves were studied in 16 intubated neonates (540-3300 g), 10 with severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and 6 air-ventilated with normal chest radiograms. FRC was measured using washout of a tracer gas (sulfur hexafluoride), and TLC and IC were calculated after inflating the lungs to 30 cm H2O. P-V curves were obtained during expiration from TLC using an interrupter technique, and the steepest slope of the curve, i.e. the maximum compliance (Crs-max), was calculated. In addition, an index of ventilation inhomogeneity (pulmonary clearance delay, PCD) was computed from the shape of the SF6 washout curve. TLC/body weight was less in the RDS group than in the air-ventilated group (median 19 and range 16-43 mL/kg versus 48 and 43-52 mL/kg, respectively; p < 0.01), mainly because of a marked reduction in IC (median 11 and range 8-24 mL/kg versus 29 and 28-40 mL/kg; p < 0.01). The flatter P-V curve in the RDS group was reflected also in a lower Crs-max (median 0.7 and range 0.4-1.7 cm H2O-1 kg-1) than in the air-ventilated group (2.3 and 2.0-3.1 mL cm H2O-1 kg-1, respectively; p < 0.01). Thus, there was no overlap in IC or Crs-max between the groups, suggesting that reductions in these measures may be main characteristics of RDS. On the other hand, no difference in PCD was found, indicating that, in infants with RDS, the tidal volume is distributed fairly homogeneously to the ventilated parts of the lungs.

Functional Residual Capacity↗

Pulmonary complications of umbilical venous catheters.

Umbilical venous catheters that are pushed in too far will usually cross the atrial septum and may dislodge in a pulmonary vein. The authors report eight neonates with radiographic documentation of this catheter malposition together with either a localized pulmonary opacification or an autopsy report of a pulmonary hemorrhage or infarction corresponding to the catheter position. The lung injury ranged from a transient edema to hemorrhagic pulmonary infarction and hydrothorax. In two cases autopsy demonstrated localized infarction without previous radiographic signs of catheter-related injury.

Catheterization, Peripheral↗

Airway and body surface sensors for triggering in neonatal ventilation.

Failure of neonatal patient triggered ventilation may reflect a delay in delivery of flow relative to the inspiratory effort of the infant. Transmission of diaphragmatic contraction to the sensor site (patient delay) and further transmission to and within the sensing device (device delay) both contribute to the delay in triggering. Patient and device delays were studied for different sensing systems in 36 infants, 24 of whom were intubated. Device delay was long (> 40 ms) with a conventional apnoea monitor compared with sensors placed at the airway opening (2 ms), the inspiratory (12 ms) and expiratory (3 ms) pressure transducers of the ventilator, the Graseby capsule (8 ms), strain gauges (3 ms) and oesophageal pressure (6 ms). In near normal infants, the sum of patient and device delays for the latter sensors was less than 20 ms and a minor component of the total delay. However, in severe lung disease the total delay may be more than 100 ms even for airway sensors.

Airway Resistance↗

Functional residual capacity and ventilation homogeneity in mechanically ventilated small neonates.

A modification of a computerized tracer gas (SF6) washout method was designed for serial measurements of functional residual capacity (FRC) and ventilation homogeneity in mechanically ventilated very-low-birth-weight infants with tidal volumes down to 4 ml. The method, which can be used regardless of the inspired O2 concentration, gave accurate and reproducible results in a lung model and good agreement compared with He dilution in rabbits. FRC was measured during 2-4 cmH2O of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in 15 neonates (700-1,950 g), most of them with mild-to-moderate respiratory distress syndrome. FRC increased with body weight and decreased (P less than 0.05) with increasing O2 requirement. Change to zero end-expiratory pressure caused an immediate decrease in FRC by 29% (P less than 0.01) and gave FRC (ml) = -1.4 + 17 x weight (kg) (r = 0.83). Five minutes after PEEP was discontinued (n = 12), FRC had decreased by a further 16% (P less than 0.01). The washout curves indicated a near-normal ventilation homogeneity not related to changes in PEEP. This was interpreted as evidence against the presence of large volumes of trapped alveolar gas.

Body Weight↗

Rapp-Hodgkin ectodermal dysplasia.

Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome is an uncommon, autosomal dominant condition characterized by distinctive craniofacial anomalies, cleft lip or palate, poor dentition, poor hair growth, dystrophic nails, and hypohidrosis, and hypospadias in boys. Since the original report in 1968, fewer than 20 other patients have been described. We report a new sporadic case, a 12-year-old boy who had erythrodermia and scaling skin at birth, and later developed most of the symptoms and findings previously described.

Child↗