Nasal High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation in Preterm Infants with Moderate Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To determine whether nasal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (NHFOV) as a primary mode of respiratory support as compared with nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) will reduce the need for invasive mechanical ventilation in preterm infants (26^0/7–33^6/7 weeks of gestational age [GA]) with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted in 18 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in China. A total of 302 preterm infants born at a GA of 26^0/7–33^6/7 weeks with a diagnosis of RDS were randomly assigned to either the NCPAP (<i>n</i> = 150) or the NHFOV (<i>n</i> = 152) group. The primary outcome was the need for invasive mechanical ventilation during the first 7 days after birth. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Treatment failure occurred in 15 of 152 infants (9.9%) in the ­NHFOV group and in 26 of 150 infants (17.3%) in the NCPAP group (95% CI of risk difference: −15.2 to 0.4, <i>p =</i> 0.06). In the subgroup analysis, NHFOV resulted in a significantly lower rate of treatment failure than did NCPAP in the strata of 26^+0/7–29^+6/7weeks of GA (11.9 vs. 32.4%, 95% CI of risk difference: −39.3 to −1.7, <i>p =</i> 0.03) and birth weight &#x3c;1,500 g (10.4 vs. 29.6%, 95% CI of risk difference: −33.8 to −4.6, <i>p =</i> 0.01). The rate of thick secretions causing an airway obstruction was higher in the NHFOV group than in the NCPAP group (13.8 vs. 5.3%, 95% CI of risk difference: 1.9–15.1, <i>p =</i> 0.01). No significant differences in other secondary outcomes were found between the NHFOV and NCPAP groups. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> NHFOV was not superior to NCPAP with regard to the primary outcome when applied as the primary respiratory support for RDS in infants between 26^+0/7 and 33^+6/7 weeks of GA. In the subgroup analysis, NHFOV seemed to improve effectiveness than NCPAP in preterm infants &#x3c;30 weeks of GA.