Early human development
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Early human development · Feb 1993
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialA multicenter randomized trial of high frequency oscillatory ventilation as compared with conventional mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory failure.
A multicenter randomised trial was conducted in nine neonatal centers in Japan to re-evaluate the safety and the efficacy of high frequency oscillatory ventilation using the piston type oscillator (Hummingbird) in the treatment of respiratory failure in preterm infants weighing between 750 and 2000 g at birth. A total of 92 infants were enrolled in the study. Forty-six infants were allocated to high frequency oscillatory ventilation and 46 infants to conventional mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Mean airway pressure was significantly higher in the high frequency oscillatory ventilation group and the infants on high frequency oscillation showed a significantly higher arterial to alveolar oxygen tension ratio after 6 h of treatment. These results suggest that high frequency oscillatory ventilation does not increase the risk of severe complications such as air leaks, intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia when it is used by experienced neonatologists. Indeed high frequency oscillatory ventilation helps provide better oxygenation with higher mean airway pressure without increasing the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and severe complications such as air leaks and intraventricular hemorrhage.