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Primate researchers in San Antonio are using infant baboons to test the efficacy of different methods of preventing the lungs of premature infants from collapsing.
The lungs of infant baboons provide a good model of infant human lungs, and as a story in the San Antonio Express-News noted, baboons were used to test replacements for lung surfactant
The San Antonio Express-News reports that researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research are using baboons to test the efficacy of using ventilators vs. continuous positive airway pressure on premature infants. Airflow is needed to minimize the risk of lung collapse -- a common problem with premature infants.
In the United States, ventilators are typically used on premature infants. Unfortunately, ventilators along with tracheal tubes can cause inflammation and other problems in the lung tissue of premature infants. Many premature infants on ventilators develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease which requires infants to remain on ventilators for lengthy periods of time.
An alternative to ventilators is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses nostril clips or a mask to deliver air to the upper respiratory system. It is believed that CPAP causes less damage to the lungs than traditional ventilation, and the San Antonio researchers are studying baboon infants and premature infants to get a handle on whether this is true and, if so, how much less damage the CPAP technique does.
The only drawback to CPAP is it requires more attention from nurses and attendant training.
Source:
Baboons aid preemies. Cindy Tumiel, San Antonio Express-News, September 8, 2003.