Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program

Despite advances in neonatal care, chronic lung disease (CLD) of infancy — also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) — remains a major source of morbidity and mortality for extremely low birth weight infants. To achieve the best outcome for these infants, care provided by a multidisciplinary team with experience and specialized training is needed.

Housed within CHOP’s Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU), the Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program is devoted to the meeting the growing clinical and research needs of these infants. We offer infants with chronic lung disease — and their families — seamless, innovative care from initial evaluation and diagnosis, through treatment and long-term follow-up.

CHOP is one of the few places in the world able to provide specialized care for BPD in infants. In this video, neonatologists and pulmonologists explain BPD treatment options, care in the N/IICU, the support services CHOP offers families and more. You'll also hear from a patient family.

Lifesaving care when it counts

Our goal is to provide lifesaving therapy to all children with CLD — without compromising their long-term quality of life.

The program offers:

  • An experienced, multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and others who are experts in the management of infants with chronic lung disease
  • A coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to each infant’s evaluation and treatment
  • Regular communication with families, referring physicians and specialists to create a comprehensive, individualized plan of care for each infant
  • The newest and most innovative diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available
  • Ongoing research to learn more about CLD, explore new treatment options, and enhance outcomes for all children with CLD

A multidisciplinary team

Our experienced team is made up of experts from various specialties who focus on providing expert medical care for each patient while providing emotional support for your whole family.

Led by attending neonatologists, the entire team specializes in neonatal/infant care. The team includes:

  • Attending neonatologists
  • Advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and hospitalists
  • Nursing teams who specialize in care of infants with lung disease
  • Nurse coordinator
  • Respiratory therapists
  • Neonatal pharmacists
  • Neonatal nutritionists and dietitians
  • Physical and occupational therapists
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • Case managers
  • A psychosocial support team made up of social workers, psychologists, child life specialists and music therapists

Our program also collaborates with other specialists throughout the Hospital as needed to ensure your child receives the comprehensive care they need. Your child will benefit from around-the-clock access to every pediatric subspecialty.

Ongoing CLD research

Research is an integral part of our Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program, which was designated a Frontier Program by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 2017. Frontier Programs are unique, cutting-edge programs that will forge important new discoveries, deliver novel therapies, and help even more children thrive.

As we work to develop a broad evidence-based approach to the management of CLD, we must first ensure we have accurate and meaningful data.

Our physicians and researchers are actively working on:

  • Benchmarking the care and outcomes of infants with severe CLD
  • Developing clinical protocols that can be evaluated in systematic prospective studies
  • Promoting better understanding of the pathophysiology of CLD, in conjunction with our basic science research

In addition to our own CLD research, we also participate in the Neonatal Research Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the severe BPD focus group of the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Database, and the BPD Collaborative. These research efforts help advance knowledge and improve management of infants with severe CLD.


Next Steps
Second Opinions, Referrals and Information About Our Services
To Transport a Child to CHOP

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