Volume Guarantee Ventilation in Preterm Infants With Frequent Episodes of Hypoxemia

Summary

Preterm infants undergoing mechanical ventilation often present with respiratory instability which leads to fluctuations in ventilation and oxygenation. In conventional modes of mechanical ventilation used in these patients, the ventilator delivers breaths at a set rate and a constant peak inspiratory pressure.

We have demonstrated that spontaneous episodes of hypoxemia in mechanically ventilated preterm infants are frequently triggered by a loss in end-expiratory lung volume followed by decrease in tidal volume. This is due to a reduction in respiratory system compliance and increase in airway resistance.

Volume Guarantee ventilation is a mode of ventilation in which ventilator measures the exhaled tidal volume of each ventilator breath and automatically adjusts the peak inspiratory pressure to deliver the set tidal volume. We have previously shown that Volume Guarantee reduced the severity and duration of hypoxemia episodes during a period of 2 hours in preterm infants The study hypothesis is that Volume Guarantee ventilation will decrease the duration of episodes of hypoxemia when compared to conventional mechanical ventilation during routine clinical conditions and over longer periods of time.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of Volume Guarantee on the duration, severity and frequency of episodes of hypoxemia in mechanically ventilated preterm infants who present with frequent hypoxemia episodes in comparison to conventional ventilation over two periods of 24 hours each and under routine clinical conditions.

Conditions

• Episodic Hypoxemia in Mechanically Ventilated Preterm Infants

Interventions

DEVICE

Sequence A: Conventional-Volume Guarantee

This is a crossover study. Infants will be randomly assigned to one of two sequences. In sequence A, the infant will undergo a 24-hour period of conventional mechanical ventilation followed by a 24 hour period of volume guarantee ventilation. Both conventional mechanical ventilation and volume guarantee ventilation will be provided by the same neonatal ventilator (AVEA, CareFusion Inc, Yorba Linda, CA). During the 24 hour period of conventional mechanical ventilation, the infant will receive mechanical ventilation with the settings determined by the clinical team. During volume guarantee ventilation, the set tidal volume to be maintained by the ventilator will be the average tidal volume delivered by the ventilator prior to start of study.

DEVICE

Sequence B: Volume Guarantee-Conventional

This is a crossover study. Infants will be randomly assigned to one of two sequences. In sequence B, the infant will undergo a 24-hour period of volume guarantee ventilation followed by a 24 hour period of conventional mechanical ventilation. Both conventional mechanical ventilation and volume guarantee ventilation will be provided by the same neonatal ventilator (AVEA, CareFusion Inc, Yorba Linda, CA). During the 24 hour period of conventional mechanical ventilation, the infant will receive mechanical ventilation with the settings determined by the clinical team. During volume guarantee ventilation, the set tidal volume to be maintained by the ventilator will be the average tidal volume delivered by the ventilator prior to start of study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Miami

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nelson Claure, M.Sc., Ph.D. · University of Miami

• Eduardo Bancalari, M.D. · University of Miami

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-11-30

Primary Completion

2015-11-30

Completion

2015-11-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations