O-079 Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure And Cardiac Function In Preterm Infants With Lung Disease

Abstract

Previous studies of infants on ventilatory support suggest that right ventricular output (RVO) decreases with increasing mean airway pressure. This may be due to increased pressure in the thoracic cavity. We investigated changes in cardiac output (CO) at different levels of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in preterm infants with evolving chronic lung disease. We studied infants between 28 and 34 weeks corrected gestational age, a minimum of two weeks old, treated with nCPAP of 5 to 7 cm H2O, with an O2 requirement of 25–40%, in whom written parental consent was obtained. Infants with significant cardiac shunts were excluded. Infants were randomly assigned to nCPAP levels of..