We report a case of a preterm neonate with isolated spontaneous pneumopericardium occurring in the absence of a history of neonatal resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, major lung disease or another air leak. The pneumopericardium was asymptomatic and resolved without the need for aspiration, although the "nitrogen washout" technique was used.

Although there is relative consensus as to when mechanical ventilation should be initiated in the presence of respiratory insuYciency, the management of infants during recovery from respiratory failure remains largely subjective and is predominantly determined by institutional or individual practices or preferences. This might stem from a lack of understanding of the relative merits of the diVe...

PURPOSE to analyze obstetric and neonatal factors associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia outcome in patients with preterm premature amniorrhexis. METHODS we analyzed 213 medical records of patients of Fernandes Figueira Institute who suffered premature amniorrhexis (<34 weeks of gestation) in the period from 1998 to 2002. Multiple gestations were excluded. Clinical-obstetric and neonatal ...

Although the trend in the neonatal intensive care unit is to use noninvasive ventilation whenever possible, invasive ventilation is still often necessary for supporting pre-term neonates with lung disease. Many different ventilation modes and ventilation strategies are available to assist with the optimization of mechanical ventilation and prevention of ventilator-induced lung injury. Patient-...

BACKGROUND Respiratory failure is a major problem in neonatal medicine in all over the world and has different causes. Using mechanical ventilation is one of its major treatments. OBJECTIVES Different strategies have been expressed in this context, including high frequency mechanical ventilation. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial conducted on all new...

The need for conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) is a common one in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The goals of CMV are to facilitate adequate gas exchange, minimize the risk of lung injury/damage, decrease the patient's work of breathing, and optimize the patient's comfort. Although time-cycled, pressure-limited ventilation remains the most common CMV modality, volume-cycled ve...

BACKGROUND Random safety audits (RSAs) are a safety tool but have not been widely used in hospitals. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of proper use of equipment safety mechanisms in relation to monitoring and mechanical ventilation by performing RSAs. The study also determined whether factors related to the patient, time period, or characteristics of the area of admission influenced how ...

Background: Nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is a non-invasive ventilatory mode, which delivers mechanical ventilation via nasal tubes or prongs. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of NIPPV and nasal continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (NCPAP) in reducing the need for intubation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)....