Indications for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and Respirator Therapy

Abstract

Continuous positive airway pressure was rediscovered and described by Gregory et al. (13) and has since been accepted as an aid in the treatment of newborn infants with pulmonary disease. A variety of technical solutions with beneficial effects for the newborn infant with respiratory distress has been described. Early treatment with continuous positive airway pressure is reported to reduce the length of time in which the demand for oxygen is increased and to make it possible, during a subsequent period on mechanical ventilation, to ventilate the infants at lower airway pressures than when continuous positive airway pressure is started late and the pulmonary disease is allowed to progress more rapidly (8;19).