Join Our Newsletter

New? Free Sign Up

Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:

CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.

CPAP Supplies

Latest Activity

Steven B. Ronsen updated their profile
Mar 5
Dan Lyons updated their profile
Mar 7, 2022
99 replied to Mike's discussion SPO 7500 Users?
"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Dec 4, 2021
Stefan updated their profile
Sep 16, 2019
Profile IconBLev and bruce david joined SleepGuide
Aug 21, 2019
Add preemies to the spectrum of humanity being well served by CPAP ...

NASHVILLE (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Almost half a million babies are born too early in the United States every year and the cost of caring for them can reach into the millions of dollars. Now a tool used to help adults with sleep apnea is helping preemies breathe easier. Some doctors say the low-cost solution may be the best weapon in the fight for survival.

At birth they were barely hanging on.

"There were so many risks, and we had no clue," Martina McCloud told Ivanhoe.

Twins Dallon and Damon surprised and scared mom by arriving almost three months too soon. They weighed about as much as a football.

"It could go hour by hour or day by day, but you just gotta stick in there," McCloud said.

Typically, tubes help the sickest babies breathe. Ventilators keep them alive, but in 20 to 50 percent of cases, the pressure damages their lungs.

"Every baby that has respiratory problems gets put on mechanical ventilation," Mario Rojas, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., told Ivanhoe. "I think that we're doing more damage at this point with that technology than benefit."

At Vanderbilt, instead of ventilators, doctors use a low-tech machine many adults use for sleep apnea. The CPAP machine covers the nose, not the mouth and provides a continuous flow of air to prevent little lungs from collapsing.

In a study, 74 percent of preemies only required a CPAP machine to breathe. The less-invasive approach reduced the rate of chronic lung disease by 10 percent and cut costs.

"On average, a ventilator could cost between $27,000 and $36,000," Dr. Rojas said. "A system like CPAP, even done in a simple way, could cost less than $500."

Without the ventilator attached, McCloud is able to hold and rock her babies.

"He has a big attitude and a little body," McCloud said.

Proving less may be more when it comes to caring for the tiniest survivors.

Mechanical ventilation is still used as a last resort for the sickest preemies. Dr. Rojas is using this study to promote the use of CPAP machines in developing countries, where nearly 4 million babies die every year because of respiratory problems.

Views: 305

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Treatment of preemies, infants and children.
In these cases Respiratory Therapist shine in their vast knowledge and ventilator and CPAP BiPAP support is utilized.
The Cub has been used for a while in assisting these little angels grow develop and become happy healthy Children.
There have been many cases in which I was called into the NICU. We performed bedside monitoring Polysomnographic support for the tiny babies.
Polysomnographers are there to monitor for SIDS sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The neonatologist creates an army of care. Nurse, Respiratory Therapist, Registered Sleep Technologist. The NICU team with RPSGT is rare but up and coming for advanced treatment of at risk infants and children. It is now becoming mainstream. It is great to see main use of CPAP in the treatment of at risk babies.
Can we hook our newborns up to pulse oximeters and expect it to warn us before SIDS occurs?

D. W. Conn said:
Treatment of preemies, infants and children.
In these cases Respiratory Therapist shine in their vast knowledge and ventilator and CPAP BiPAP support is utilized.
The Cub has been used for a while in assisting these little angels grow develop and become happy healthy Children.
There have been many cases in which I was called into the NICU. We performed bedside monitoring Polysomnographic support for the tiny babies.
Polysomnographers are there to monitor for SIDS sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The neonatologist creates an army of care. Nurse, Respiratory Therapist, Registered Sleep Technologist. The NICU team with RPSGT is rare but up and coming for advanced treatment of at risk infants and children. It is now becoming mainstream. It is great to see main use of CPAP in the treatment of at risk babies.
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?
My son has serious medical problems and has ended up in the ICU a few times with respiratory distress. Bipap and cpap saved his life. With all his medical problems, it would have been difficult if not deadly to put him on a ventilator and then try to get him off it.
SIDS is a mystery. True some not all preemies are at risk. The risk is the same even for infants with apgar score of 8 or so. Just because your child is a preemie doesn’t mean you are automatically sentenced to months- years of Night Terror trying to sleep with one eye open.
True some children are more at risk than others and Pediatricians have a methodology to use to identify at risk infants.
Some of these infants maybe sent home with devices that will alarm with changes in breathing and/or oxygen saturations. The device I am most familiar with has two parts a thoracic band that notes any change in expansion of the chest and a pulse ox probe. Some now have ECG monitors as well…

One theory developed years ago was based on the increase of infant mortality in the months Jan thru March. It was termed Gold Fish affect. Infants that were exposed to temps inside the home of equal to or greater than 77 degrees while temperatures outside were below 60 had greater incidence of SIDS related death. The term gold fish affect came about from folks buying a gold fish and taken home in warm water and dumped in a cold tank without acclamation resulting in death.

Temperature can have an affect on adults with sleep apnea as well. A study performed in 1989 where I happen to work did show an increase in OSA events in patients with room temperatures above 68 degrees.
This doesn’t mean that SIDS is a result of temperature but, it may play a small roll. You should talk with your pediatrician and get some facts. This may help calm the nerves of expectant parents.


Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?
Sounds like there are devices out there to help prevent something like this from happening which is reassuring. I will certainly do more research.

D. W. Conn said:
SIDS is a mystery. True some not all preemies are at risk. The risk is the same even for infants with apgar score of 8 or so. Just because your child is a preemie doesn’t mean you are automatically sentenced to months- years of Night Terror trying to sleep with one eye open.
True some children are more at risk than others and Pediatricians have a methodology to use to identify at risk infants.
Some of these infants maybe sent home with devices that will alarm with changes in breathing and/or oxygen saturations. The device I am most familiar with has two parts a thoracic band that notes any change in expansion of the chest and a pulse ox probe. Some now have ECG monitors as well…

One theory developed years ago was based on the increase of infant mortality in the months Jan thru March. It was termed Gold Fish affect. Infants that were exposed to temps inside the home of equal to or greater than 77 degrees while temperatures outside were below 60 had greater incidence of SIDS related death. The term gold fish affect came about from folks buying a gold fish and taken home in warm water and dumped in a cold tank without acclamation resulting in death.

Temperature can have an affect on adults with sleep apnea as well. A study performed in 1989 where I happen to work did show an increase in OSA events in patients with room temperatures above 68 degrees.
This doesn’t mean that SIDS is a result of temperature but, it may play a small roll. You should talk with your pediatrician and get some facts. This may help calm the nerves of expectant parents.


Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?
Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?

Mike and wife... congratulations!

NO bumper pads in the crib.
Baby sleeps on his/her back.
Don't overheat the room.
No blankets of pillows in the crib, once baby is too big to swaddle, he/she will be plenty warm in a sleeper or one of those sleep bag thingeys.

When you bring your precious one home, you will automatically listen constantly to reassure yourself they are breathing. All new parents do this, not just the ones with sleep apnea.

At the end of the day, you can only do what you believe makes you a wise and conscientious parent.
And then one day she will look at you with the most beautiful face that you have ever seen........and say NO!

Mike i hope your daughter is born on 10/9. it is a good day to be born.

Moe-jo said:
Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?

Mike and wife... congratulations!

NO bumper pads in the crib.
Baby sleeps on his/her back.
Don't overheat the room.
No blankets of pillows in the crib, once baby is too big to swaddle, he/she will be plenty warm in a sleeper or one of those sleep bag thingeys.

When you bring your precious one home, you will automatically listen constantly to reassure yourself they are breathing. All new parents do this, not just the ones with sleep apnea.

At the end of the day, you can only do what you believe makes you a wise and conscientious parent.
great advice Moe-jo, thanks -- sending this to my wife now so she sees it too. she's been doing a lot of the shopping for the nursery.

Moe-jo said:
Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?

Mike and wife... congratulations!

NO bumper pads in the crib.
Baby sleeps on his/her back.
Don't overheat the room.
No blankets of pillows in the crib, once baby is too big to swaddle, he/she will be plenty warm in a sleeper or one of those sleep bag thingeys.

When you bring your precious one home, you will automatically listen constantly to reassure yourself they are breathing. All new parents do this, not just the ones with sleep apnea.

At the end of the day, you can only do what you believe makes you a wise and conscientious parent.
What's up with 10/9?

Rock Hinkle said:
And then one day she will look at you with the most beautiful face that you have ever seen........and say NO!

Mike i hope your daughter is born on 10/9. it is a good day to be born.

Moe-jo said:
Mike said:
My wife is due for our first child on 10/28. also, there's a good chance she'll be a preemie. i want to know how much CPAP and/or pulse oximeter monitoring devices can do to prevent SIDS. anyone have any thoughts?

Mike and wife... congratulations!

NO bumper pads in the crib.
Baby sleeps on his/her back.
Don't overheat the room.
No blankets of pillows in the crib, once baby is too big to swaddle, he/she will be plenty warm in a sleeper or one of those sleep bag thingeys.

When you bring your precious one home, you will automatically listen constantly to reassure yourself they are breathing. All new parents do this, not just the ones with sleep apnea.

At the end of the day, you can only do what you believe makes you a wise and conscientious parent.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

© 2024   Created by The SleepGuide Crew.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service