Saving the smallest when the lungs need support

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - When a child is born before the completed 37th week of pregnancy, it is called a premature birth. Modern medicine makes it possible to care for premature babies, but depending on the baby's stage of development, some of them face major challenges. One of the biggest problems is the (un)maturity of the lungs, and thus the oxygen supply to children who are born prematurely. Researchers at Med Uni Graz have made great progress in this area as part of a multi-center study. Oxygen as a medicine. All premature babies show a certain degree of lung immaturity immediately after birth - the earlier the birth, the more immature the lungs. Therefore, the majority of all premature infants require respiratory support and supplemental oxygen as part of their initial care.