Incidence of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Pre-Term Newborns submitted to mechanical ventilation: a retrospective study of 1192 Pre- Term Newborns Incidência de displasia broncopulmonar em prematuros submetidos à ventilação mecânica: um estudo retrospectivo de 1192 recém-nascidos prematuros

Objective: To determine the incidence of preterm newborn infants in mechanical ventilation who developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia in a public hospital at Fortaleza/CE. Method: Descriptive, retrospective and longitudinal quantitative analysis with 1192 pre-term infants admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Cesar Cals General Hospital, at Fortaleza, from July 2006 to June 2007. Data collection occurred during two months, with visits to units twice a week, where the medical records were done. These samples included newborns that were in mechanical ventilation and developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The gestational average was 28.6 weeks; the mean weight of infants was 1125.33 grams, born vaginally or cesarean section, of both sexes and with various primary diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome, jaundice and neonatal infection. Results: In the sample, from the total admissions, 34.48% were for mechanical ventilation and 3.48% developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Conclusion: Despite the low prevalence, bronchopulmonary dysplasia is an important complication of prematurity, directly related to the duration of mechanical ventilation, thus the team must be committed on weaning and extubation of those as soon as possible, preferably within the first week of life.