Will CPAP Reduce Length Of Respiratory Support In Premature Infants?

In Canada each year, there are approximately 800 infants born between 28 and 32 weeks gestation. Up to 60% of these infants will require breathing tube placement for Respiratory Distress Syndrome or RDS. RDS is a lung disease of prematurity due to a lack of a compound called surfactant. The breathing tube is placed as a conduit for placing surfactant into the babies' lungs to improve the lung disease. Most babies are then placed on a breathing machine or ventilator. Ventilation is not without harm and can be associated with lung damage, delays in feeding, increased hospital stay and interruption of bonding. An alternative that does not require the presence of a breathing tube is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). We will randomize babies to either ventilation or CPAP to try to minimize the length of time the baby is kept on respiratory support.