Stimulating and maintaining spontaneous breathing of preterm infants at birth

Abstract

The success of non-invasive ventilation depends on the effectiveness of spontaneous breathing both during transition and on the NICU. Therefore, the focus of the caregiver needs to shift towards stimulation instead of trying to take over the spontaneous breathing efforts of the infant with positive pressure ventilation. While different ways for supporting and stimulating breathing effort have been investigated separately, combining these interventions in a bundle of care will potentially increase the success in maintaining effective breathing of the preterm infant, which could improve important clinical outcomes.