Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Center

At the Cincinnati Children’s BPD Center, we understand the complexities of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and other related conditions. We use our knowledge and skill to care for children so they will be as healthy as possible when they return home with you. Whether they need a ventilator, have airway obstruction, or experience any other complications, our team has the expertise and resources here to help you and your child. Strengths of our center include:

• Multidisciplinary approach. Your care team will be made up of specialists from a variety of areas, based on your child’s individual needs. We regularly partner with experts from the following areas of the hospital:
  • Neonatology
  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Radiology and Medical Imaging
  • Pulmonary Hypertension and Cardiology (The Heart Institute)
  • Aerodigestive and Esophageal Center
  • Neurology
  • Sleep Center
  • Respiratory Care
  • Nutrition Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
  • Social Services

• Advanced imaging. We offer breakthrough imaging (MRI) techniques in premature babies right within the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. These techniques give us the highest quality images possible. Our expertise in imaging aids us in making earlier diagnoses, developing new therapies and customizing each child’s treatment.
• Long-term continuity of care. Your child will see the same team of experts from birth through childhood and adolescence.
• Clinical trials. We lead or participate in multiple single- and multi-site clinical trials as part of newborn research groups such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network.
• History of expertise in lung development research and care. Cincinnati Children’s is a hub for research in neonatal and pediatric pulmonary medicine. Among the many advances we have been involved in are:
  • The first synthesis  of respiratory surfactant, a liquid that coats the inside of the lungs that helps allow infants to breathe when they are born
  • Helping create the first consensus guidelines for BPD severities, which provide standards for determining how severe a child’s bronchopulmonary dysplasia is
  • Identifying the genes that regulate lung development and maturation