Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Associated Pulmonary Hypertension – A Survey of Current Practices in USA and Canada

Abstract

The increased survival of premature infants has led to an increased incidence of complications associated with prematurity. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic lung disease associated with prematurity that affects approximately 10,000-15,000 preterm infants [1] in USA alone with health costs exceeding $2.4 billion in USA alone [2] Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is one of the most significant complications of BPD due to its high associated morbidity and mortality. PH complicates approximately one-third infants with BPD cases [3-5] with high mortality (40%) [6].