Acute Respiratory Failure in Newborns (NB) ≥ 1500gr. : Outcome with Conventional Mechanical Ventilation (CV) in those Potentially Candidates to others Respiratory Therapeutics

To introduce safely new technologies to treat acute respiratory failure the results must be evaluated. The decision about how the new therapies might affect the quality of care provided to specific patients should be based on those results. To helps the team in charge deciding which type of patients are more likely to benefit from the new treatments we retrospectively reviewed the patients ≥ 1500gr. who required CV, to identify those who were unlikely to survive despite maximal respiratory therapy. Data were analized according to diagnosis and illness severity; criteria such us Oxigenation Index and Alveolo Arterial Oxigen Gradient (OI and A-a). Since April 1996 to May 1997, 47 NB ≥ 1500gr required CV, 17 of them potentially candidates to others respiratory therapies (OI ≥ 20). General characteristics, complications (according OI) and evolution by diagnostic categories are the following: Table

Table 1 No caption available.

Two of the 6 dead patients had malformations associated to their pulmonary pathology (PH): Renal Agenesia Pena Shokeir Sindrome. Ten Patients had OI> 40 and 5 of them died (59%). We especulate that in our NB ≥ 1500gr. with acute respiratory failure assisted immediately after birth, OI> 40 plus maximal respiratory therapeuties failed to identify non survivors. Decisions to incorporate new technologies require further evaluation.