Too much oxygen may be bad for babies

NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) High body levels of oxygen, also known as ''hyperoxia,'' induced by oxygen therapy may depress breathing in newborns, according to the findings of an animal study published in the European Respiratory Journal.

Previous studies have suggested that frequent hyperoxia could compromise the ability of tissue to absorb oxygen, particularly in preterm infants, who are more susceptible to stop breathing, referred to as ''apnea,'' the authors explain.

Dr F Lofaso from Hopital Raymond Poincare, Garches, France and colleagues investigated the effects of repeated hyperoxia on the breathing response of newborn mice with a condition similar to that seen in preterm infants.

Repeated hyperoxia caused breathing to slow down. Furthermore, hypoxia was associated with an increase in the duration of apnea.

The good news is that these effects could be reversed after several minutes of breathing regular air.

The findings support ''a need for stringent control of oxygen therapy, most notably repeated oxygen administration in the neonatal period for premature infants and those carried to term,'' they conclude.

Infants on oxygen therapy should at least have their blood oxygen levels monitored to prevent it from dropping too low or becoming too high, Lofaso told Reuters Health. These study findings should also be considered in the debate over how useful or harmful oxygen administration is during the resuscitation of newborns.

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