Skip to content
The Kids Research Institute Australia logo
Donate

No results yet

Search

Research

NICU Dads

Co-design of a program supporting paternal involvement in preterm care.

News & Events

Enhancing the lung health for preterm birth survivors by uncovering treatable traits

A project to uncover treatable traits to improve the lung health of people born preterm has been made possible thanks to a $1.99 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant. 

Research

Preterm lung disease: not just for neonatologists

Improvements in neonatal critical care have resulted in more people than ever reaching adulthood after being born prematurely. At the same time, it is becoming clearer that preterm birth can increase the risk of respiratory disease throughout a person’s lifetime. Awareness that a patient was born preterm can enable early specialist assessment and intervention when there is any concern about lung health. 

Research

Neonatal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation: where are we now?

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is an established mode of respiratory support in the neonatal intensive care unit. Large clinical trial data is based on first intention use in preterm infants with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Clinical practice has evolved from this narrow population. HFOV is most often reserved for term and preterm infants with severe, and often complex, respiratory failure not responding to conventional modalities of respiratory support.

Research

Lung Recruitment Before Surfactant Administration in Extremely Preterm Neonates: 2-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial

To examine follow-up outcomes at corrected postnatal age (cPNA) 2 years of preterm infants previously enrolled in an RCT and treated with IN-REC-SUR-E or IN-SUR-E in 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units.

Research

Oscillometry and spirometry are not interchangeable when assessing the bronchodilator response in children and young adults born preterm

The European Respiratory Society Oscillometry Taskforce identified that clinical correlates of bronchodilator responses are needed to advance oscillometry in clinical practice. The understanding of bronchodilator-induced oscillometry changes in preterm lung disease is poor. Here we describe a comparison of bronchodilator assessments performed using oscillometry and spirometry in a population born very preterm and explore the relationship between bronchodilator-induced changes in respiratory function and clinical outcomes.

Research

Towards a harmonized bronchopulmonary dysplasia definition: a study protocol for an international Delphi procedure

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most common complication of preterm birth with lifelong consequences. Multiple BPD definitions are currently used in daily practice. Uniformity in defining BPD is important for clinical care, research and benchmarking. The aim of this Delphi procedure is to determine what clinicians and researchers consider the key features for defining BPD.

Research

Modelling respiratory syncytial virus age-specific risk of hospitalisation in term and preterm infants

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children worldwide. The highest incidence of severe disease is in the first 6 months of life, with infants born preterm at greatest risk for severe RSV infections. 

Research

Airway smooth muscle thickness and contraction are enhanced by intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide in an ovine model of premature birth

Abnormalities of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer in asthma may develop before birth. We hypothesize that antenatal inflammation causes physiological abnormalities of the ASM that predisposes asthma. This study determined the short-term effects of antenatal inflammation on the developing ASM.

Research

Early mortality among aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women who had a preterm birth in Western Australia: A population-based cohort study

Having a preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) birth may increase a woman's risk of early mortality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have higher preterm birth and mortality rates compared with other Australian women.