Published online May 9, 2022. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v11.i3.160
Peer-review started: March 5, 2021
First decision: March 31, 2021
Revised: May 19, 2021
Accepted: April 3, 2022
Article in press: April 3, 2022
Published online: May 9, 2022
Processing time: 427 Days and 14.6 Hours
Prematurity may be associated with some degree of respiratory failure.
Clinical recognition of premature infants at risk is important for appropriate management of ventilatory support.
To assess maternal and newborn factors related to the need for ventilatory support.
A retrospective cohort conducted in a private hospital in southern Brazil consisted of preterm infants with gestational age < 37 wk.
We evaluated 90 premature infants with median (p25-p75) gestational age of 34.0 (31.9-35.4) wk. The utilization rate of oxygen therapy, continuous positive airway pressure and mechanical ventilation was 12 (13.3%), 37 (41.1%) and 13 (14.4%), respectively. The median (p25-p75) length of stay was 12.0 (5.0-22.2) d, with 10 (11.1%) deaths. A statistical association was observed with the use of mechanical ventilation and gestational age < 28 wk, lower maternal age, low birth weight, Apgar < 8 and neonatal deaths.
The need for mechanical ventilation in premature infants was related to low birth weight, extreme prematurity and low Apgar.
Other clinical indicators for predicting ventilatory support in premature infants can be used, such as monitoring vital signs and their variability measures.