Permissive Hypercapnia Results in Decreased Functional Vessel Density in the Skin of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

Background: Ventilator-induced lung injury with subsequent bronchopulmonary dysplasia remains an important issue in the care of extremely low-birth-weight infants. Permissive hypercapnia has been proposed to reduce lung injury. Hypercapnia changes cerebral perfusion, but its influence on the peripheral microcirculation is unknown.