Thriving Beyond the NICU: Optimizing Lifelong Health for Adult Preemies

Monday, April 28, 2025

2:00pm – 3:30pm HST

Location: Convention Center: 313 C

CE: 1.5

Selected By: MOD

Chair(s)

Steve Abman, MD (he/him/his)

Professor
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Denver, Colorado, United States
Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MD (she/her/hers)

Professor
Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
Towson, Maryland, United States

Disclosure(s):

Steve Abman, MD: Chiesi (Ongoing) (Products/Services: Consultant)

Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Marked improvements in perinatal care have increased the survival of preterm infants throughout the NICU course and into childhood. With increased survival, there has been a growing awareness of late respiratory sequelae and other health issues throughout childhood, which continue into adulthood. However, many practitioners outside of the NICU may be unaware of the impact of premature birth on numerous problems across the lifespan, especially as related to lung disease, and there is a clear need to increase awareness of patients and care providers regarding the risks for other co-morbidities. This session focuses on addressing the need to recognize how a history of preterm birth impacts health across the lifespan, with the goal of increasing early interventions in the ambulatory setting after NICU discharge and optimizing anticipatory management of diverse health problems by pediatric and adult care providers. This session will include an adult born preterm to highlight under-recognized health care issues; an academic nursing professor who has extensive experience with many challenges in linking vital patient needs with developing a greater awareness of pediatric and adult health care providers on the impact of preterm birth history; and presentations from pediatric and adult pulmonary physicians to tackle respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes that contribute to many late morbidities throughout infancy and childhood, as well as up-t0-date information on the importance of developing and applying innovative respiratory care strategies to enhance long-term outcomes, particularly as related to progressive development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Learning Objectives:

understand the nature of health-related challenges in accessing optimal health care across the lifespan as faced by adults with a history of preterm birth;
recognize the importance of anticipating diverse late complications of prematurity and to develop optimal care strategies through anticipatory guidance and interventions across the lifespan;
become aware of prematurity-associated lung disease, the need to proactively assess and treat respiratory diseases, especially as related to the risks for early COPD.

Presentations:

2:00pm – 2:30pm HST

"Life Outside the Box - Lived Experience of an Adult Born Preterm"
Speaker: Lauren Ingledow (she/her/hers) – Adult Preemie Advocacy Network CIC
2:30pm – 3:00pm HST

Relevance of Preterm Birth History to Adolescent and Adult Health
Speaker: Michelle M. Kelly, PhD CRNP FAANP FAAN (she/her/hers) – Villanova University
3:00pm – 3:15pm HST

Spectrum of Prematurity-associated Lung Diseases in School-age Children with BPD
Speaker: Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MD (she/her/hers) – Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
3:15pm – 3:30pm HST

Early Origins of Airflow Limitation: Pathways to Adult Respiratory Health
Speaker: Francesca Polverino, MD PhD – Baylor College of Medicine