Jean Paul Praud MD

The investigator Jean-Paul Praud’s research has enabled to a new comprehension of neonatal respiration. He has shown that closing of the larynx during repeated apneas of premature newborns is actually beneficial as it creates an oxygen reserve in the lungs. However, the reflexes triggered by acid liquid reflux from the stomach onto the larynx provoke particularly severe apneas and heart rate decreases in premies. A further feature of his research is the unique experimental animal model he pioneered and developed: a preterm-lamb model that remarkably reproduces human apneas of prematurity.