“Creating the Perfect Bone Plan for Premature Babies: Taiwan’s Neonatal Team Takes on Osteoporosis”

Taiwan is facing the problem of declining birth rate. Last year, the number of newborns was less than 140,000. Among them, the proportion of premature babies accounts for about 10%. Premature babies are a group of fighters who have to face a difficult growth process before they have time to prepare. In addition to respiratory failure, infection, retinopathy, and osteoporosis? The Neonatal Team of Chung Ho Memorial Hospital Affiliated to Kaohsiung Medical University has implemented the “Creating the Perfect Bone Project for Premature Babies” in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since the 110th year of the Republic of China. At least more than 100 premature babies have joined this project. When Xiao An was 26 weeks pregnant, despite her mother’s best efforts, Xiao An couldn’t wait to come to this world. She weighed only 965 grams at birth. During the hospitalization, the bone quality dropped to the lowest point on the fourth week. After the medical team adjusted Xiaoan’s diet, supplemented with vitamin D and intervened in physical therapy, Xiaoan was finally discharged from the hospital in good health without any fractures. Outpatient tracking.

Huang Shangzhi, vice president of Zhonghe Memorial Hospital affiliated to Gao Medical University, said that Zhonghe Memorial Hospital affiliated to Gao Medical University, as a university hospital and medical center, upholds the patient-centered approach, emphasizes the continuity of vertical care, and has an excellent neonatology team. In recent years, Taiwan Neonatal Network (TNN) of the Society of Neonatal Medicine has won many awards, and it is also the hospital with the most awards. For example, in the TNN indicators of 2018-2020, Severe IVH (severe intraventricular hemorrhage) and Chronic Lung Disease<33wks (chronic lung disease), won the best performing hospital and the best progress award team. And the newborn team of Gaoyi took the lead in the whole country, focusing on the prevention of osteoporosis in premature infants very early. It is expected that the newborn team of Gaoyi will continue to work hard to create a perfect bone for premature infants, and completely prevent the occurrence of fractures in premature infants, so that Your child can still bounce while in the hospital and after leaving the hospital.

Chen Xiuling, director of the Neonatology Department of Zhonghe Memorial Hospital affiliated to Gao Medical University, said that in 2007, the Neonatal Team of Gao Medical University took care of a premature baby with 25 weeks of pregnancy and a birth weight of 800 grams. After four months in the hospital, when the parents were happily preparing to leave the hospital, they found that the child’s right thigh was swollen, and after an X-ray, the right thigh was broken. This is the so-called “metabolic bone disease of prematurity”, also known as osteoporosis of prematurity (Osteopenia of prematurity) or “rickets of prematurity”, and it often occurs in premature infants whose birth weight is less than 1500 grams. The cause of this disease is mainly due to the poor nutritional status of premature infants during their growth period. In addition, the drugs used during hospitalization, such as diuretics and theophylline for the treatment of respiratory apnea in premature infants, will easily cause calcium loss.

Chen Xiuling, director of the Neonatology Department of Zhonghe Memorial Hospital affiliated to Gao Medical University, further explained that most adult bone density measurements use dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure bone, but there are many limitations in the research on newborn premature infants. The main concern is the accumulation of radiation dose. The neonatology team of High Medical Sciences searched international literature and found that this kind of osteoporosis in premature infants can be measured by quantitative ultrasound. Quantitative ultrasound is a convenient, radiation-free and cheap instrument. Recently, it has been developed to measure the bone speed of sound (SOS) to assess the mineralization content of bone. Many previous studies have shown that this technique can be used to assess bone health and bone mineralization content in full-term newborns and preterm infants.

Chen Xiuling, director of the Neonatology Department of Zhonghe Memorial Hospital Affiliated to Gao Medical University, reminded that according to the previous research results of the newborn team of this hospital, the growth of premature babies will decline after they are discharged from the hospital to the age of one year. Loose situation), only to rise again. If left unattended during the descending phase, there is a risk of fractures in preterm infants. Therefore, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of our hospital implemented the “Creating the Perfect Bone Plan for Premature Infants”. During the hospitalization of premature infants, ultrasonic bone density examinations were performed for these premature infants every week, so as to understand the decline in bone density during hospitalization. degree. With diet adjustment, vitamin D supplementation, and physical therapy intervention, in addition to preventing fractures, we also hope to establish a good bone foundation for premature babies. We remind everyone that osteoporosis is not just a disease of the elderly, it is also a problem for premature babies. Quite an important subject!

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