Relationship between mechanical ventilation at birth and respiratory tract infections within one year of follow-up in preterm infants

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between mechanical ventilation (MV) at birth and respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in premature infants during later stages of life. We recruited 132 premature infants including 81 received mechanical ventilation and 51 non-mechanical ventilation (non-MV) at birth during their hospital stay, who were regularly followed up in the outpatient department of premature infants after discharge from the Department of Neonatology between March 2021 to February 2023. MV group was subdivided into invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) group and non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) group. Primary outcome was respiratory tract infections within the first year of life. The incidence of respiratory tract infection in the MV group was similar with that in the non-MV group(82.7% vs 80.4%, p = 0.736). After adjusting for gestational age (GA), birth weight, twins, mode of delivery, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, Apgar score and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, mechanical ventilation was found to be not an independent risk factor for RTIs (NIMV group vs. non-MV group: OR 1.886, 95%CI 0.253–14.258, p = 0.536; IMV group vs. non-MV group, OR 1.553, 95%CI 0.219–11.041, p = 0.660). Conclusions: Mechanical ventilation at birth did not increase the risk of respiratory infections in premature infants within one year after birth.