BPD

Today, for the first time in quite a while, Mikaila had an issue that caused us a bit of concern. This morning her team took a chest x-ray to further explore the de-satting issue. When they examined the film they noticed that Mikaila had extra fluid in her chest likely indicating a condition known as bronchial pulmonary dysplasia. Essentially, BPD is an abnormality in the lungs caused by the ventilators, sipap and canulas that are designed to serve her. Her attending sees Mikaila’s case as being very mild and expects she will bounce back after a course of diuretic. The diuretic should help to rid her lungs of the excess fluid. Only through growth will Mikaila actually correct the underlying issue. She was given the diuretic today and as you might expect, she gave back the gains she made yesterday. She is back down to 980 grams.

Independent of her need for a diuretic, her team, during rounds decided to bump up the calories. As of this morning she is on the 27 calorie blend. Once she has passed the BPD, she should resume her tremendous growth spurt. She had no problems today with aspirates.

One last thought on the BPD. More than half of low weight preemies experience some form of respiratory issues. Fortunately, Mikaila’s issue is considered mild and shouldn’t cause any issues down the road.

That's it for tonight.