PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - V Chan
AU  - A Greenough
AU  - H R Gamsu
TI  - High frequency oscillation for preterm infants with severe respiratory failure.
AID  - 10.1136/fn.70.1.F44
DP  - 1994 Jan 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - F44--F46
VI  - 70
IP  - 1
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/70/1/F44.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/70/1/F44.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed1994 Jan 01; 70
AB  - High frequency oscillation (HFO) as rescue treatment for preterm infants with severe respiratory failure has been assessed and prognostic factors identified. Thirty six infants with a median gestational age of 27 weeks were studied. Immediately before transfer to HFO, the infants were receiving an inspired oxygen concentration of > or = 85% and/or a mean airway pressure of > or = 12 cm H2O and had a median alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO2) of 73.28 kPa (range 49.34-89.91). Seventeen infants subsequently died. Comparison of those 17 with the remaining 19 infants demonstrated that respiratory distress syndrome and persistent fetal circulation were associated with a significantly better outcome than pulmonary airleak. The A-aDO2 after two and six hours on HFO was significantly higher in those infants who survived compared with those who died. We conclude that a diagnosis of pulmonary airleak and failure to show early improvement in respiratory status indicate a poor prognosis when HFO is used as rescue treatment.