The purpose of this study is to evaluate the growth of the lung and how easily gas can be taken up by the lung in healthy infants born at full term without any breathing problems and infants born prematurely.

Population

The study population will be selected from Infant Lung Disease Clinics at Riley Hospital, flyer in the community, and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Riley Hospial for Children, Indiana University and Methodist Hospital.

Brief Title

Assessment of Lung Structure and Function of Infants Born Prematurely

Official Title

Assessment of Lung Structure and Function of Infants Born Prematurely

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the growth of the lung and how easily gas can be<br /> taken up by the lung in healthy infants born at full term without any breathing problems and<br /> infants born prematurely.

Detailed Description

SPECIFIC AIM #1:

Determine the relationship between parenchymal tissue and alveolar volume with normal lung
growth early in life.

We hypothesize that during the first two years of life that parenchymal surface area and
alveolar volume increase with somatic growth; however, the ratio of surface area to volume
remains constant, while ventilation within the lung becomes more homogenous.

SPECIFIC AIM #2:

Determine the pulmonary sequelae of premature birth and assess the effectiveness of early
treatment strategies upon the pulmonary sequelae.

We hypothesize that premature birth impedes growth and development of the lung parenchyma and
the airways. In addition, initiating continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and a
permissive ventilatory strategy in very premature infants at birth will improve lung growth
and lung function compared to treatment with early surfactant and conventional ventilation.

Outcome Measures

Outcome measures are the tests that investigators perform to prove whether or not a treatment being tested in a clinical trial is having any effect.