Pulmonary function following feeding in low-birth-weight infants
A. N. Krauss, J. Brown, S. Waldman, G. Gottlieb and P. A. Auld
Determination of functional residual capacity, arterial gas tensions and
pH, and arterial-alveolar differences was carried out in a group of
nondistressed premature infants to determine if significant alterations in
lung volumes or ventilation perfusion relationships sufficiently large to
cause cyanosis could be detected after feeding. The only statistically
significant changes observed in these parameters were immediately following
feeding, a fall of .01 pH units and a fall of 6 mm Hg in arterial oxygen
tension; and 15 minutes after feeding, a fall of .01 pH units and a rise in
arterial PCO2 of 3 mm Hg. In addition, significant falls in peripheral
blood flow were observed five minutes after feeding in association with
marked elevations in peripheral vascular resistance. The mild impairment in
pulmonary function in association with the more profound changes in limb
blood flow are consistent with other studies in premature and full-term
infants. These data suggest that cyanotic attacks following feeding may
have a complex etiology and require an aggressive multisystem approach for
adequate diagnosis and therapy.
