Providing Hope. Saving Lives. The National Leader in Care for Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

The National Leader in Care for Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

If you have a baby with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), we know this is a scary and exhausting time for you. But at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, we have a proven track record of treating the sickest and most complex babies with this condition so you can focus on what’s most important – loving and caring for your child.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital has the only unit dedicated to BPD, also known as chronic lung disease (CLD), in the country. Our cutting-edge research and expert team result in patients having:

  • A 99% survival rate
  • Shorter hospital stays
  • Fewer readmissions

Our patients also show better brain development thanks to our team of dedicated therapists and our focus on creating a playful, happy intensive care environment where babies can be babies. No matter how far away you are, our team can help transport your child and family to our hospital so they can receive the best care possible. Whether you are a patient for a few weeks or a few months, your family’s care doesn’t end when you leave the hospital. When you go home, our team is still available 24/7 to answer any questions, and we work with your local health care team to make sure your child continues to thrive.

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Our Unique Care Approach

As a leader of the BPD Collaborative, a group of health care organizations looking at ways to improve care of BPD patients, we know it takes weeks and sometimes months for babies with this disease to improve. That’s why we’ve shifted our approach. We treat BPD as a chronic (long-lasting) disease, and we are backed by the resources to give your baby the best chance at a long, fulfilling life.

Our Center

Our Center

Our Comprehensive Center for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (CCBPD) is the nation’s only dedicated BPD unit. With 24 beds, we treat more patients with BPD than any other health system in the United States.

Our Team

Our Team

Our team of neonatologists, advanced practice and registered nurses, respiratory, physical, music and developmental therapists is specially trained to treat patients with BPD. Each patient receives a coordinated treatment plan that is specific to your child and family’s needs.

Our Treatment

Our Treatment

Treatment at Nationwide Children’s includes a hybrid model of care. We focus on intensive therapy, including the use of aggressive ventilator settings that are shown to increase survival rate. We also place special emphasis on neurodevelopment by comforting your baby through massage, music, speech and/or physical therapies.

Our Resources

We are a nationally ranked hospital, so no matter where you’re from, our team is here to help:

  • We offer consults to anyone in the world seeking care for their baby with BPD. 
  • Patient Services offers financial assistance, translators, travel arrangements and a Family Resource Center.
  • We are home to the world’s second-largest Ronald McDonald House. Conveniently located right on our main campus, just steps away from the hospital, it allows you to remain a part of your child’s care team while providing you a home away from home.

Hear From Our Patients

See how the techniques used to treat BPD at Nationwide Children’s turned Autymn into a happy baby and laid the foundation for her to have a normal life.

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Grayson and Scarlett

Grayson and Scarlett decided to enter the world at just 25 weeks. They were immediately wheeled from the operating room to the NICU and placed in clear, plastic cribs that their mom says she came to both appreciate and despise. As diagnosis after diagnosis rolled in, the following weeks were defined by a steep learning curve as the babies’ family discovered the harsh realities of prematurity.

Thankfully, at 10 weeks old, they were able to transfer to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where they were quickly moved to the BPD unit. Scarlett came home at 18 weeks and Grayson followed close behind at 19 weeks, both continuing with supplemental oxygen and physical therapy for torticollis.

Flash forward: the twins recently celebrated their second birthday and anyone who meets them describes them as happy, healthy toddlers. And at their latest checkup, they even met age-appropriate milestones.

“We feel confident that Nationwide Children’s was the best place in the world to take care of our babies and consider our story a happy and successful one,” says Grayson and Scarlett’s parents.

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Bryce

Bryce was diagnosed with BPD shortly after he was born at 24 weeks. When he was 7 months old, he underwent several surgeries, then took a turn for the worse. His family was told every parent’s worst nightmare – there is nothing more we can do. His mother turned to a support group on Facebook and says what happened next is extraordinary.

Several mothers reached out telling her to go to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She questioned how they would get Bryce to Ohio from California in such a critical state, but nonetheless, she immediately followed up. When they arrived, he was admitted to the BPD unit, where his mother says doctors are “bold and confident enough to go against the grain and pave the way in establishing proper ventilation protocols for BPD babies.”

She credits these methods with saving Bryce’s life. After a 2+ year stay at Nationwide Children’s they returned home to California, and today, Bryce is a thriving 5-year-old.

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Jack's

Jack was born 16 weeks early with multiple complications, including BPD. During one event in which they nearly lost him, his parents begged their doctors to call Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The advice given by Dr. Shepherd at Nationwide Children’s saved Jack’s life within an hour, and one week later, they were wheels up on their way to Ohio, where Jack spent 22 months in the BPD unit at Nationwide Children’s.

Three hospitals, one rehab facility and three states later, Jack returned home with his family to Iowa, and today is a healthy 7-year-old.

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