Providing Oxygen During Intubation in the NICU Trial

Tracheal intubation in the NICU is frequently complicated by severe oxygen desaturation. Apneic oxygenation, a method of applying free flowing oxygen via nasal cannula to apneic patients undergoing intubation, prevents or delays oxygen desaturation during intubation in adults and older children. We propose to enroll patients at two sites (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) in a randomized trial in infants undergoing intubation in the NICU to determine if apneic oxygenation, compared with no respiratory support or oxygen during laryngoscopy and intubation attempts (standard care), reduces the magnitude of oxygen desaturation during tracheal intubation encounters.