High-frequency ventilation and conventional mechanical ventilation in newborn babies with respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective, randomized trial.
OBJECTIVE
Morbidity and mortality remain high amongst babies ventilated for a respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Whether newly developed ventilators allowing high frequency ventilation such as high frequency flow interrupted ventilation (HFFIV) could decrease the morbidity and the mortality was investigated in a randomized study.


METHODS
Preterm babies weighing < or = 1800 g suffering from RDS and ventilated by conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) were randomized to be further ventilated either by CMV (group CMV) or by HFFIV (group HFFIV) when peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) on CMV was > or = 20 cmH2O.


METHODS
The study was undertaken in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Erasmus Hospital.


METHODS
24 patients entered into the investigation and were randomized but 2 patients were removed from the study because the switch over to HFFIV failed. Eight of the 12 CMV patients and 5 of the 10 HFFIV patients completed the study.


RESULTS
Clinical variables, blood gas analysis and ventilatory variables were looked at. There were no differences in mortality, in incidence of air leaks and pulmonary complications or in blood gas analysis. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was not decreased by the use of HFFIV.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that HFFIV is safe although it offers no concrete advantages over CMV when applied as we did in a low pressure approach.
Pardou
A
A
Department of Neonatal Medicine, Erasmus Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
Vermeylen
D
D
Muller
M F
MF
Detemmerman
D
D
D005260:Female; D006612:High-Frequency Ventilation; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*