Discontinuing Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Infants ≤32 Weeks of Gestational Age: A Randomized Control Trial

Extended CPAP or low-flow nasal cannula for intermittent hypoxaemia in preterm infants: a 24-hour randomised clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Optimal timing of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) cessation in preterm infants remains undetermined. We hypothesised that CPAP extension compared with weaning to low-flow nasal cannula (NC) reduces intermittent hypoxaemia (IH) and respiratory instability in preterm infants meeting criteria to discontinue CPAP.

DESIGN

Single-centre randomised clinical trial.

SETTING

Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit.

PATIENTS

36 infants <34 weeks' gestation receiving CPAP≤5 cmH2O and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ≤0.30 and meeting respiratory stability criteria.

INTERVENTIONS

Extended CPAP was compared with weaning to low-flow NC (0.5 L/kg/min with a limit of 1.0 L/min) for 24 hours.

OUTCOMES

The primary outcome was IH (number of episodes with SpO2<85% lasting ≥10 s). Secondary outcomes included: coefficient of variability of SpO2, proportion of time in various SpO2 ranges, episodes (≥10 s) with SpO2<80%, median cerebral and renal oxygenation, median effective FiO2, median transcutaneous carbon dioxide and bradycardia (<100/min for≥10 s).

RESULTS

The median (IQR) episodes of IH per 24-hour period was 20 (6-48) in the CPAP group and 76 (18-101) in the NC group (p=0.03). Infants continued on CPAP had less bradycardia, time with SpO2 <91% and <85%, and lower FiO2 (all p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in IH<80%, median transcutaneous carbon dioxide or median cerebral or renal oxygenation.

CONCLUSION

In preterm infants meeting respiratory stability criteria for CPAP cessation, extended CPAP decreased IH, bradycardia and other hypoxaemia measures compared with weaning to low-flow NC during the 24-hour intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04792099.

Early Bubble CPAP Protocol Implementation and Rates of Death or Severe BPD

BACKGROUND

A multidisciplinary comprehensive protocol to use bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) as the primary respiratory support in the delivery room (DR) and the NICU was introduced. With this study, we aimed to assess the association of this change with respiratory outcomes over time.

METHODS

Infants with gestational age <32 weeks and birth weight <1250 g admitted between January 2012 and June 2020 were included and categorized into 4 periods, including pre-implementation (P0: 2012-2014), and post-implementation (P1: 2014-2016, P2: 2016-2018, P3: 2018-2020). The primary outcome was the rates of death and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and the secondary outcomes included the rates of DR and NICU intubation ≤7 days of age, need of surfactant, and pneumothorax. Multivariate logistic regression models accounting for relevant risk factors were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

The study included 440 infants (P0 = 90, P1 = 91, P2 = 128, P3 = 131). Over time, more infants were free of BPD (P < .001), and the rates of death and severe BPD decreased significantly: P1 = OR 1.21 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-2.67), P2 = OR 0.45 (95% CI 0.20-0.99), and P3 = OR 0.37 (95% CI 0.15-0.84). DR intubation decreased from 66% (P0) to 24% (P3) in the entire cohort (P < .001) and from 96% (P0) to 40% (P3) in infants <26 weeks of age (P < .001). The need for NICU intubation was similar (P = .98), with a decreased need for surfactant (P = .001) occurring at higher FiO2 (P0 = 0.35 vs P3 = 0.55, P < .001). Pneumothorax rates were unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

In very preterm infants, the implementation of a comprehensive bCPAP protocol led to a significant and consistent improvement in respiratory practices and the rates of death and severe BPD.

Race and Ethnicity of Infants Enrolled in Neonatal Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review

Importance

Representativeness of populations within neonatal clinical trials is crucial to moving the field forward. Although racial and ethnic disparities in research inclusion are well documented in other fields, they are poorly described within neonatology.

Objective

To describe the race and ethnicity of infants included in a sample of recent US neonatal clinical trials and the variability in this reporting.

Evidence Review

A systematic search of US neonatal clinical trials entered into Cochrane CENTRAL 2017 to 2021 was conducted. Two individuals performed inclusion determination, data extraction, and quality assessment independently with discrepancies adjudicated by consensus.

Findings

Of 120 studies with 14 479 participants that met the inclusion criteria, 75 (62.5%) included any participant race or ethnicity data. In the studies that reported race and ethnicity, the median (IQR) percentage of participants of each background were 0% (0%-1%) Asian, 26% (9%-42%) Black, 3% (0%-12%) Hispanic, 0% (0%-0%) Indigenous (eg, Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian), 0% (0%-0%) multiple races, 57% (30%-68%) White, and 7% (1%-21%) other race or ethnicity. Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous participants were underrepresented, while White participants were overrepresented compared with a reference sample of the US clinical neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population from the Vermont Oxford Network. Many participants were labeled as other race or ethnicity without adequate description. There was substantial variability in terms and methods of reporting race and ethnicity data. Geographic representation was heavily skewed toward the Northeast, with nearly one-quarter of states unrepresented.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that neonatal research may perpetuate inequities by underrepresenting Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous neonates in clinical trials. Studies varied in documentation of race and ethnicity, and there was regional variation in the sites included. Based on these findings, funders and clinical trialists are advised to consider a 3-point targeted approach to address these issues: prioritize identifying ways to increase diversity in neonatal clinical trial participation, agree on a standardized method to report race and ethnicity among neonatal clinical trial participants, and prioritize the inclusion of participants from all regions of the US in neonatal clinical trials.

Predictors of successful trial off continuous positive airway pressure and high flow nasal cannula in preterm infants <30 weeks' gestation: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

To identify the predictors of successful first trial off nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of infants ≤29 weeks' gestation who required nCPAP for >24 h was conducted. Logistic regression was used to detect predictors for successful trial off nCPAP. Statistical analysis was performed using the SAS software.

RESULTS

A total of 727 infants were included in the analysis. Infants who were successful in their first trial off nCPAP (n = 313) were of higher gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW), as well as a higher proportion of female infants, compared with those who were not successful (p < 0.01). When stratified by GA, a negative correlation was noted between GA and postmenstrual age at successful trial off nCPAP or high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) (r = 0.45, p < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that GA (odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.03-1.24], p = 0.01) and percentage of time spent with an oxygen saturation over 89% in the 24 h preceding the trial off nCPAP (OR 1.08, 95% CI [1.05-1.11], p = 0.00) were independent predictors for successful trial off nCPAP.

CONCLUSION

Successful trial off nCPAP or HFNC in preterm infants is significantly associated with higher GA, BW, female gender, and the specific oxygen saturation histogram in the preceding 24-h period.