title: Nasal continuous positive airway pressure with heliox in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the therapeutic effects of breathing a low-density helium and oxygen mixture (heliox, 80% helium and 20% oxygen) in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Infants born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestational age with radiologic findings and clinical symptoms of RDS and requiring respiratory support with NCPAP within the first hour of life were included. These infants were randomly assigned to receive either standard medical air (control group) or a 4:1 helium and oxygen mixture (heliox group) during the first 12 hours of enrollment, followed by medical air until NCPAP was no longer needed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From February 2008 to September 2010, 51 newborn infants were randomly assigned to two groups, 24 in the control group and 27 in the heliox group. NCPAP with heliox significantly decreased the risk of mechanical ventilation in comparison with NCPAP with medical air (14.8% vs 45.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Heliox increases the effectiveness of NCPAP in the treatment of RDS in premature infants.
authors.affiliation: NICU, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. mariarosa.colnaghi@mangiagalli.it
authors.forename: Mariarosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colnaghi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pierro
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Migliori
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciralli
authors.forename: Piero Giuseppe
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Matassa
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vendettuoli
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mercadante
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Consonni
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mosca
mesh_terms: D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D005260:Female; D006371:Helium / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D006371:Helium; C038949:heliox; D010100:Oxygen