Sustained inflations during delivery suite stabilisation in prematurely-born infants - A randomised trial.

Background: Sustained inflations at initial stabilisation in the delivery suite may reduce the need for intubation and result in a shorter duration of initial ventilation, but have not been compared to routine UK practice.

Aims: To compare the early efficacy of sustained inflation during stabilisation after delivery to UK practice.

Study Design: A randomised trial was performed of a fifteen second sustained inflation compared to five inflations lasting 2 to 3 s, each intervention could be repeated once if no chest rise was apparent. Respiratory function monitoring was undertaken.

Subjects: Infants born prior to 34 weeks of gestation.

Outcome Measures: The minute volume and maximum end-tidal carbon dioxide level in the first minute after the interventions, the time to the first spontaneous breath after the beginning of stabilisation and the duration of ventilation in the first 48 h.

Results: There were no significant differences in the minute volume or maximum end tidal carbon dioxide level between the groups. Infants in the sustained inflation group made a respiratory effort sooner (median 3.5 (range 0.2-59) versus median 12.8 (range 0.4-119) s, p = 0.001). The sustained inflation group were ventilated for a shorter duration in the first 48 h (median 17 (range 0-48) versus median 32.5 (range 0-48) h, p = 0.025).

Conclusions: A sustained inflation of 15 s compared to five two to three second inflations during initial stabilisation was associated with a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation in the first 48 h after birth.