Introduction Infant chronic lung disease, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), is a debilitating lung disease that occurs in premature infants. Since the nineteen seventies, advances in neonatal intensive care have led…

Introduction Rapid and complex physiologic changes occur around the time of birth. The keys to a successful transition are the clearance of lung fluid and the establishment of a functional…

Respiratory care encompasses a set of practices, usually implemented by a multidisciplinary team (physician, respiratory therapist, nurse), to ensure the optimal delivery of respiratory support to newborn infants with respiratory…

Introduction to Ventilators A ventilator is defined as an automatic machine designed to provide all or part of the work required to generate enough ventilation to satisfy the body’s respiratory…

Neonates needing respiratory support require close monitoring to detect subtle changes that can signal either the need for weaning or a deterioration requiring additional intervention. An interdisciplinary team with expertise…

Introduction Neonates requiring intensive care represent a particularly vulnerable population because of their frequent need for intubation (as part of resuscitation), prolonged mechanical ventilation, and susceptibility to hospital-acquired infections. Hospital-acquired…

First described in the 1970s, high-frequency ventilation (HFV) is a form of mechanical ventilation that uses small tidal volumes, sometimes less than anatomic dead space, and very rapid ventilator rates…