Improving Neonatal Care with Technology

Frontiers in Pediatrics

Arjan B. te Pas¹ 

关键词: preterm infant;    technology;    computers;    automation;    therapy;    computer-assisted;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fped.2017.00110

学科分类：儿科学

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The care for preterm infants has improved considerably in the last decades and although the outcome improved, prematurity is still a large global health issue and is ranked in the top 10 of the WHO list of leading causes of burden of disease (1). Prematurity still leads to organ injury, especially of the lungs and brain, and is responsible for 50% of perinatal mortality (2). Historically, much progress in neonatal care was made through the use of technology. The chances of survival for preterm infants increased by the development of an infant incubator. Later on, preterm infants were able to survive by the use of a mechanical ventilator specifically designed for neonates. However, preterm infants on mechanical ventilation developed classic bronchopulmonary dysplasia, indicating that exposing fragile patients to technology can also have negative consequences. For this reason, the technology in neonatology is in a continuous process of improvement. Preterm infants are now protected by a double-walled servo-controlled incubator, and more sophisticated mechanical ventilators are used with built-in algorithms guaranteeing that even the smallest tidal volumes can be delivered in a safe manner.

【 授权许可】

CC BY