Respiratory care
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During both nasal noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and invasive ventilation of neonates, the presence of air leaks causes triggering and cycling asynchrony. ⋯ The ability of leak compensation to prevent asynchronous breathing varied widely between ventilators and lung mechanics. The PB980 and V500 were the only two ventilators to acclimate to all leak scenarios in invasive ventilation, and PB980 was the only ventilator to acclimate to all leak scenarios in NIV.
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Volume-targeted ventilation is increasingly used in low birthweight infants because of the potential for reducing volutrauma and avoiding hypocapnea. However, it is not known what level of air leak is acceptable during neonatal volume-targeted ventilation when leak compensation is activated concurrently. ⋯ The PB980 and V500 were the only ventilators to acclimate to all leak scenarios and achieve targeted VT. Further clinical investigation is needed to validate the use of leak compensation during neonatal volume-targeted ventilation.