Sustained lung inflation in resuscitation of premature infants: a review / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

The establishment of spontaneous breathing plays an essential role in the intrauterine to extrauterine transition. Sometimes respiratory support is needed during this transition, especially for preterm infants. Animal and clinical studies have indicated that based on the changes in the airway pressure caused by the first few deep breaths in full-term infants, sustained lung inflation (SLI) could improve respiratory function by facilitating the removal of the lung fluid and maintain functional residual capacity. However, the study results of SLI's effectiveness are inconsistent, and some even demonstrated that SLI could increase the case fatality rate in extremely premature infants. Thus, SLI in resuscitation for premature infants is controversial and is not recommended as a routine practice for preterm infants. The effects of SLI vary due to the differences in lung maturity and spontaneous breathing ability of preterm infants with different gestational ages. Further studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of SLI. This article reviews the application and the latest progress of SLI in premature infants.