Primary and secondary outcomes by treatment group
| Primary outcome | <34 weeks (n=33) | ≥34 weeks (n=17) | ||||
| NHF (n=15) | Standard care (n=18) | P value | NHF (n=7) | Standard care (n=10) | P value | |
| Median (IQR) time peripheral oxygen saturation below 75% (s) | 29 (0–126) | 43 (0–132) | 0.78 | 0 (0–32) | 0 (0–32) | 0.90 |
| Secondary outcomes (haemodynamics) | ||||||
| Lowest SpO2 during procedure | 58 (33–81) | 52 (6–75) | 0.47 | 80 (54–92) | 89.5 (66-95) | 0.65 |
| Median time SpO2 <85% (s) | 70 (20–211) | 66 (14–203) | 0.82 | 18 (0–55) | 0 (0–38) | 0.74 |
| Median time SpO2 <65% (s) | 22 (0–63) | 21.5 (0–87) | 0.89 | 0 (0–6) | 0 (0–3) | 0.42 |
| Median SpO2 during first intubation attempt | 83 (68–90) | 83 (71–91) | 0.85 | 95 (84–98) | 95 (79–98) | 0.94 |
| Median SpO2 during second intubation attempt | 87 (57–92) | 84 (51–97) | 0.70 | 91.5 (89.5–93.5) | 89 (86–92) | 0.67 |
| Median SpO2 during third and subsequent intubation attempts | 80.75 (72–77.5) | 75 (72–93) | 0.22 | NA | NA | |
| Median time to SpO2 <75% (all attempts) | 58 (48–69) | 53 (37–72) | 0.37 | 53 (52–54) | 57 (54–65) | 0.59 |
| Lowest heart rate during procedure | 141 (125–159) | 149 (121–160) | 0.17 | 144 (140–165) | 120 (100–175) | 0.71 |
| Bradycardia defined as heart rate below 80 beats/min during procedure | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Successful intubation following first attempt without physiological instability as per SHINE trial, n (%) | 4 (26) | 3 (16) | 0.48 | 3 (42) | 4 (40) | 0.9 |
| Secondary outcomes (technical) | ||||||
| Successful intubation on first attempt | 8/15 | 9/18 | 0.84 | 5/7 | 8/10 | 0.68 |
| Number of intubation attempts | 1 (1–2) | 1.5 (1–4) | 0.60 | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 |
| Time to successful intubation (s) | 93 (72–147) | 85 (34–122) | 0.43 | 86 (49–148) | 60 (51–75) | 0.40 |
| Operator experience (defined by role) (n=57) | ||||||
| Junior registrar (<1 year’s clinical experience in NICU as a registrar) | 14 | 15 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Subspecialty trainee in neonatology | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Consultant | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
NA, not applicable; NHF, nasal high flow; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit.