# Hibbs -Association Between Intermittent Hypoxia and Later Respiratory Morbidity

> **NIH NIH U01** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $248,296

## Abstract

Project Summary
Longer term respiratory morbidity remains a major consequence of preterm birth. We seek to
characterize the association between immature respiratory control manifest as intermittent
hypoxia [IH] and later respiratory morbidity in a cohort of preterm infants less than or equal to 30
weeks' gestation. Our hypotheses in Aims 1 and 2 are that IH episodes at one week and one
month of life are significantly associated with prolonged duration of hospitalization and
respiratory support, as well as a high incidence of wheezing disorders by six months adjusted
age. In Aim 3 we hypothesize that low serotonin levels are associated with a high incidence of
IH and a prolonged recovery of respiratory effort after onset of desaturation. Finally, in Aim 4 we
hypothesize a temporal relationship between IH episodes and markers of oxidative stress
determined by urine and blood samples. In prior studies we have demonstrated that apnea
almost always precedes desaturation in preterm infants and have documented a novel
association between retinopathy of prematurity, and both the duration of IH events and the time
interval between IH events. From these data we speculate that it is both longer IH events and a
distinct time interval of at least one minute between IH events that will be associated with
respiratory morbidity and accompanying oxidative stress. This proposal provides a unique
opportunity to quantify, for the first time, a relationship between IH and biomarkers of oxidation.
We provide additional retrospective data that IH is associated with both increased length of stay
and postnatal wheezing disorders, as well as a remarkable track record for both meeting
enrollment goals and effective follow-up in prior clinical trials. Additionally, we have a strong
track record for collection of continuous cardiorespiratory waveforms with bioengineering
expertise in signal acquisition and processing that is ideally suited for multicenter data
collection. In conclusion, our investigators' expertise in the measurement and analysis of
respiratory and saturation waveforms, characterization of IH events, the basic science of
respiratory control, and the measurement of clinical respiratory outcomes, makes us ideally
poised to execute this single center, as well as multisite, proposal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154115
- **Project number:** 3U01HL133643-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna Maria Hibbs
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $248,296
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154115, Hibbs -Association Between Intermittent Hypoxia and Later Respiratory Morbidity (3U01HL133643-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154115. Licensed CC0.

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