Biomaterial Database

The influence of body position on pulmonary function in low birthweight babies. 1975

F C Schwartz, and A Fenner, and J Wolfsdorf

The influence of the prone and supine body positions on the respiratory rate, arterial pH, pO2, pCO2 and serum bicarbonate level; on alveolar pO2 and pCO2; and on alveolar/arterial gradients for carbon dioxide and oxygen, were compared in 10 low birthweight infants. THE ALveolar pCO2 was higher in the prone, while pO2 was higher in the supine position, possibly as a result of ventilation/perfusion imbalance with increased physiological dead space in the supine position. There were no significant differences between the other parameters studied. Since aspiration of feed by the low birthweight infant is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, evidence is presented in favour of the prone nursing position.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008297	Male		Males
D010100	Oxygen	An element with atomic symbol O, atomic number 8, and atomic weight [15.99903; 15.99977]. It is the most abundant element on earth and essential for respiration.	Dioxygen,Oxygen-16,Oxygen 16
D010313	Partial Pressure	The pressure that would be exerted by one component of a mixture of gases if it were present alone in a container. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Partial Pressures,Pressure, Partial,Pressures, Partial
D011187	Posture	The position or physical attitude of the body.	Postures
D011650	Pulmonary Alveoli	Small polyhedral outpouchings along the walls of the alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts and terminal bronchioles through the walls of which gas exchange between alveolar air and pulmonary capillary blood takes place.	Alveoli, Pulmonary,Alveolus, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Alveolus
D012119	Respiration	The act of breathing with the LUNGS, consisting of INHALATION, or the taking into the lungs of the ambient air, and of EXHALATION, or the expelling of the modified air which contains more CARBON DIOXIDE than the air taken in (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed.). This does not include tissue respiration (	Breathing
D001724	Birth Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual at BIRTH. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Birthweight,Birth Weights,Birthweights,Weight, Birth,Weights, Birth
D001769	Blood	The body fluid that circulates in the vascular system (BLOOD VESSELS). Whole blood includes PLASMA and BLOOD CELLS.