Failure of early nasal continuous positive airway pressure in preterm infants of 26 to 30 weeks gestation

Objective:to identify variables associated with early nasal continuous positive airway pressure (encpap) failure in preterm neonates less than 30 weeks gestational age.study design:multicenter prospective study including 131 preterm newborns, over a period of 2 years. patients and respiratory variables were assessed using univariate analysis.result:variables associated with encpap failure were: the need of resuscitation with a fio2>0.30; a cpap pressure of 6.4±1.2 cm h2o; the need of a fio2 of 0.40 in the first 4 h of life; male gender maintaining the need of a fio2>0.25 in the first 4 h of life; and respiratory distress syndrome with criteria for surfactant administration.conclusion:the need for oxygen in resuscitation and maintained in first hours of life, male gender, a cpap pressure over 5 cm h2o and surfactant need are predictors of encpap failure in preterm neonates 26 to 30 weeks gestational age.