Predictors of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants with respiratory failure

Objectives: To identify the variables that predict death/physiologic bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants with severe respiratory failure. Study Design: The study was a secondary analysis of data from the NICHD Neonatal Research Network trial of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in preterm infants. Stepwise logistic regression models and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) models were developed for the outcome of death or physiologic BPD (O-2 at 36 weeks post-menstrual age). Result: Death and/or BPD was associated with lower birth weight, higher oxygen requirement, male gender, additional surfactant doses, higher oxygenation index and outborn status, but not the magnitude of response in PaO2 to iNO. The positive predictive value of the CART model was 82% at 95% sensitivity. Conclusions: The major factors associated with death/BPD were an increased severity of respiratory failure, lower birth weight, male gender and outborn status, but not the magnitude of initial response to iNO.