Physiology of preterm and near term piglets.

Physiological parameters of piglets delivered by caesarean section at 97 d gestation (untreated), 97 d (treated with maternal glucocorticoids = GC) and 113 d gestation (term is 115 d). Mean arterial pressure and heart rate have been averaged over a 10 min period (approximately 30 min post-birth). Initial arterial blood gas parameters are from the first blood gas taken 30–60 min post-birth and so reflect the response to the initial ventilatory settings. Maintenance values were obtained prior to experimentation and reflect ongoing maintenance. GC indicates animals treated with maternal glucocorticoids prior to birth. pCO2 is carbon dioxide partial pressure, pO2 is oxygen partial pressure, ABE is arterial base excess, FiO2 is fraction of inspired oxygen, Hb is haemoglobin. All values are mean ± SD (n).*indicates significantly different to near term piglets (p#indicates a significant difference between untreated preterm piglets and preterm piglets treated with maternal glucocorticoids (p