In their detailed study of the long-term survivors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) Smyth and colleagues1 contrast their findings of a high incidence of abnormal pulmonary function in early childhood with the commonly held view that pulmonary function becomes normal in most children surviving BPD.2 However, they do not give us detailed parameters of the mode of intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) used on their patients, in particular maximum peak pressures, inspiratory: expiratory ratios and rates, or type of pressure wave curves generated by the ventilators used.