All About RSV

As promised, here is some information about RSV and the precautions we will have to take until April. We really appreciate everyone's understanding and help to keep Max and Tyler healthy this winter. After everything they went through in the NICU, we want to do all we can to keep them far, far away from the hospital!!

*Most information was gathered from www.synagis.com

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is an easily spread virus that is most common from fall to spring. Almost everyone has had RSV at some point but probably thought it was just a bad cold. In fact, nearly all children will get their first RSV infection by age two. Most people with RSV suffer moderate to severe cold-like symptoms. For some babies, RSV can be more serious—it's the #1 cause of hospitalization in infants. Preemies and babies born with a heart or lung condition are at higher risk for severe RSV disease, which could lead to serious lung infections like pneumonia and bronchiolitis. It is estimated that the annual infant death rate due to RSV is 10 times greater than that of the flu, with up to 400 infant deaths from RSV each year in the U.S.

One of the reasons why RSV is more dangerous to preemies is because their underdeveloped lungs cannot handle infection as well as a full-term baby. Here is an illustration that compares a full-term baby's airway to a premature baby's airway:

As you see, preemies' airways are smaller and more narrow and can cause serious breathing problems if they were to get RSV.

When the boys were first born, the doctors described their premature lungs by comparing it to an upside down tree. The lungs are one of the last things to develop in the womb, and being born prematurely means the lungs are not fully developed. The lungs of a full-term baby look like a fully blooming tree with all of its branches and leaves (see far right picture below). When Max and Tyler were born 14 weeks early, their lungs at 26 weeks gestation only had a few sprouting buds on their "tree" (see the third picture below). Because of this, they were on the ventilator for their first 3 days and received oxygen support for almost 5 months.


So even though the boys are breathing without oxygen support now and are seemingly "normal" babies, their lungs have a lot of catching up to do. All humans continue to grow new lung tissue until the age of 7, but Max and Tyler's have had much more growing to do than a full-term baby. Much of their lung tissue was damaged due to their prematurity, so they have to grow new tissue to replace the damaged ones. I cannot seem to find any concrete information explaining how long it takes for their lungs to fully develop, but I do know we have to be cautious with RSV season until the boys are 2. Our pediatrician explained that most severe cases of RSV occur in babies younger than 2, which is why we'll have to be especially careful this winter and next winter.

Luckily there are some precautions we can take to help protect the boys this winter. As previously mentioned, they will get a Synagis shot every month until April. Synagis is the only FDA-approved medication to help protect high-risk babies from severe RSV disease. Each Synagis shot provides a dose of antibodies that help prevent RSV from infecting a baby’s lungs.

We will also be keeping them away from crowds, asking everyone who holds them to wash their hands, and staying as far away from sick people as possible. Of course we cannot live in a bubble all winter (well at least not without Mommy going crazy!), but we can be as careful as possible to keep Max and Tyler healthy. Again, thank you for everyone's help and understanding. It means the world to us!

As a reminder of how far these guys have come, here are a few pictures from their first days of life:

Max on the ventilator - they could not breathe on their own at all for the first 3 days

Tyler under the bili lights to help with their jaundice