Chorioamnionitis and subsequent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very-low-birth weight infants: a 25-year cohort

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether chorioamnionitis (CA) or sepsis were associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in a 25-year cohort of very-low-birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN: VLBW infants <= 32 weeks gestation admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between 1989 and 2014 were reviewed. BPD was defined using the National Institutes of Health consensus definition. CA was defined clinically. Logistic regression models were used for BPD prediction. RESULTS: One thousand six hundred and eighty-seven infants were included; 44% (n=740) had moderate or severe BPD. In multivariable analysis, lower gestational age (odds ratio (OR) 1.12 per week (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11, 1.14)), sepsis (OR 2.03 (95% CI 1.49, 2.77)) and birth year >= 1995 (OR 1.49 (95% CI 1.09, 2.04)) were significant predictors of BPD. CA was not associated with BPD (OR 1.18 (95% CI 0.66, 2.11)). CONCLUSION: Sepsis, but not CA, is associated with the development of moderate or severe BPD in VLBW infants after controlling for gestational age.