The Variability of Tidal Volume During Pressure Controlled Mechanical Ventilation of Premature Neonates

Background: Premature lungs are at a high risk of injury from mechanical ventilation. Pressure controlled ventilation, where respiratory therapists monitor and titrate peak inspiratory pressure to keep tidal volume within 4-7 mL/kg, is widely used in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, pressure controlled ventilation may expose the lung to volutrauma with changes in lung compliance and hypo or hyperventilation can increase the risk of injury to the premature brain. We sought to identify the variability of tidal volume during pressure-controlled ventilation in mechanically ventilated premature neonates. Methods: Data files of neonates Results: Sixty-nine infants with ventilator data within the first 72 h of life were included. The mean gestational age was 27 ± 2 weeks with birthweight of 1,069 ± 378 g. A total of 1,533 hours of data or 18,397 breaths were analyzed and 11.9% of breaths were 7 mL/kg, 10% > 9 mL/kg, and just 56.5% fell within the targeted 4-7 mL/kg (Figure 1). Conclusions: In this cohort 43.5% of the pressure control breaths were outside of the targeted volume range of 4-7 mL/kg. Disclosures: None.