Head, Early Environment Research Focus Area; Team Lead, Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health
BMedSci (Dist) MBBS, PhD (Dist) FRACP
Professor Jane Pillow is an academic neonatologist with an active clinical and preclinical research program, with a longstanding focus on improving the cardiorespiratory outcome of preterm infants. She is the CIA and Co-Director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence to improve the immediate and long-term outcomes of preterm infants.
She is the Founding Director of the UWA Preclinical Intensive Care Research Unit (PICRU). Her clinical research program has contributed to the detailed understanding and development of sophisticated and non-invasive methods of assessing lung function at the bedside of newborn infants, and improving non-invasive treatment including nebulised surfactant.
She is internationally renowned for her expertise in the development and teaching of lung protective respiratory support to limit injury to fragile lungs of premature babies.
In recent years, her research program has focused on systemic modifiers of lung development including interventions in relation to infection, inflammation and circadian rhythm as a means to improving not just cardiorespiratory but overall outcomes for premature and very premature infants.
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Publications
February 2023
Ventilatory response and stability of oxygen saturation during a hypoxic challenge in very preterm infants
Preterm infants have immature control of breathing and impaired pulmonary gas exchange. We hypothesized that infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have a blunted ventilatory response and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) instability during a hypoxic challenge.
Published research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthFebruary 2023Unstable SpO2 in preterm infants: The key role of reduced ventilation to perfusion ratio
Instability of peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2) in preterm infants is correlated with late disability and is poorly understood. We hypothesised that a reduced ventilation to perfusion ratio (VA/Q) is the key predisposing factor for SpO2 instability.
Published research Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Pre-term birthNovember 2022Living with lung disease: experimental models to assess the long-term effects of prematurity
Laboratory models provide an important tool in helping to understand the cellular and molecular drivers of respiratory disease. Many animal models exist that model the neonatal outcomes of preterm birth.
Published research Airway Epithelial Research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Subsite: Walyan Pre-term birthOctober 2022Airway smooth muscle thickness and contraction are enhanced by intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide in an ovine model of premature birth
Abnormalities of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer in asthma may develop before birth. We hypothesize that antenatal inflammation causes physiological abnormalities of the ASM that predisposes asthma. This study determined the short-term effects of antenatal inflammation on the developing ASM.
Asthma Published research Early Childhood Development Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Pre-term birthOctober 2022The ventilatory response to hypoxia is blunted in some preterm infants during the second year of life
Preterm birth and subsequent neonatal ventilatory treatment disrupts development of the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). An attenuated HVR has been identified in preterm neonates, however it is unknown whether the attenuation persists into the second year of life.
Published research Children's Lung Health Neonatal Infection and Immunity Pre-term birthSeptember 2022Impact of fetal treatments for congenital diaphragmatic hernia on lung development
The extent of lung hypoplasia impacts the survival and severity of morbidities associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
Published research Early Childhood Development ORIGINS Neonatal Cardiorespiratory HealthJuly 2022Epidemiology of Neonatal Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Prospective, Multicenter, International Cohort Study
Age-specific definitions for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are available, including a specific definition for neonates (the "Montreux definition"). The epidemiology of neonatal ARDS is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology, clinical course, treatment, and outcomes of neonatal ARDS.
Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Respiratory viral infectionsFebruary 2021Pulmonary Gas Exchange Improves over the First Year in Preterm Infants with and without Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Right shift of the peripheral oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2) versus inspired oxygen pressure (PIO2) curve is a sensitive marker of pulmonary gas exchange. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) on gas exchange and right-to-left shunt in the neonatal period, and its evolution over the first year of life.
Published research Early Childhood Development Children's Lung Health Neonatal Cardiorespiratory HealthFebruary 2021Lung recruitment before surfactant administration in extremely preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (IN-REC-SUR-E): a randomised, unblinded, controlled trial
The importance of lung recruitment before surfactant administration has been shown in animal studies. Well designed trials in preterm infants are absent. We aimed to examine whether the application of a recruitment manoeuvre just before surfactant administration, followed by rapid extubation (intubate-recruit-surfactant-extubate [IN-REC-SUR-E]), decreased the need for mechanical ventilation during the first 72 h of life compared with no recruitment manoeuvre (ie, intubate-surfactant-extubate [IN-SUR-E]).
Published research Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Pre-term birthJanuary 2021Enteral Vitamin A for Reducing Severity of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Randomized Trial
Evidence suggests that intramuscular vitamin A reduces the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Our objective was to compare enteral water-soluble vitamin A with placebo supplementation to reduce the severity of BPD in extremely preterm infants.
Published research Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Neonatal Gut Health, Nutrition and Development Pre-term birthSeptember 2021Vitamin A supplementation in very-preterm or very-low-birth-weight infants to prevent morbidity and mortality: A systematic review and meta-Analysis of randomized trials
A previous systematic review showed that intramuscular vitamin A supplementation reduced the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. However, more recent studies have questioned this finding.
Published research Early Childhood Development Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Neonatal Gut Health, Nutrition and Development Pre-term birthSeptember 2021Effect of Enteral Vitamin A on Fecal Calprotectin in Extremely Preterm Infants: A Nested Prospective Observational Study
Vitamin A has anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. We aimed to assess whether enteral water-soluble vitamin A supplementation in extremely preterm infants decreases fecal calprotectin, a marker of intestinal inflammation.
Published research Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Pre-term birthJuly 2021Simplified bedside assessment of pulmonary gas exchange in very preterm infants at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age
We aimed to develop and validate a prediction table for a simplified measure of rightward shift of the fetal oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2) versus inspired oxygen pressure (P IO2) curve as an objective marker of lung disease severity in very preterm infants, independent of unit altitude or oxygen prescribing policies.
Published research Neonatal Cardiorespiratory Health Pre-term birth -
Education and Qualifications
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