Minimal handling and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely low-birth-weight infants.
Over the last 16 years a minitouch regime, i.e., nasal continuous positive airway pressure (n-CPAP) and/or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (n-IPPV), together with a minimal intubation policy has been routinely used for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm infants. Only 1.39 (1 out of 72) of the extremely low-birth-weight babies admitted to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and surviving for at least 36 weeks' postconceptional age developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 36 weeks (BPD 36-wk). The BPD-36 wk incidence observed in our population is significantly lower than expected (30%) from the literature (p=0.000002).


CONCLUSIONS
Our experience supports the effectiveness of the minitouch regime as a way to ventilate premature babies, reducing BPD risk.
Latini
G
G
Division of Pediatrics, Perrino Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera A. Di Summa, 72100, Brindisi, Italy. gilatini@tin.it
De Felice
C
C
Presta
G
G
Rosati
E
E
Vacca
P
P
D001724:Birth Weight; D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007385:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis
D010100:Oxygen