BACKGROUND: Previous studies reached conflicting conclusions regarding the benefits of NCPAP for premature infants no longer requiring an endotracheal tube and did not address other neonatal outcomes .OBJECTIVES - Primary: to determine if extubation to NCPAP results in a greater proportion of infants remaining free of additional support for one week compared with those extubated directly to headbox oxygen (HB). Secondary: to compare rates of feed intolerance, chronic lung disease, spesis, retinopathy of prematurity and intraventricular haemorrhage .MANOEUVRE: Infants randomly allocated to either NCPAP (3.0 Portex tube inserted 2.5 cm) or HB. RESULTS: 47 infants extubated to NCPAP, mean (SD) BWt 960 (182) g and 45 to HB 927 (157) g. Successful extubation in 66% of the NCPAP group vs 40% of headbox (p = 0.013). No significant differences in secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: NCPAP applied following endotracheal extubation results in a statistically significant and clinically important improvement in success rate without an increased incidence of unwanted side-effects.