Volume-targeted versus pressure-limited ventilation in neonates.

Summary: Premature babies often need help breathing, but traditional mechanical ventilation can sometimes damage their fragile lungs by using too much pressure. This damage can lead to chronic lung disease or brain injury. A newer method, called "Volume-Targeted Ventilation" (VTV), adjusts the machine to deliver a specific, safe volume of air with each breath, rather than just pushing with a fixed pressure.

A comprehensive review of 20 studies involving over 1,000 infants found that VTV is safer than the traditional pressure-limited method. Babies treated with VTV had significantly lower rates of death or chronic lung disease. They also suffered fewer collapsed lungs (pneumothorax) and fewer severe brain bleeds. Furthermore, these babies spent fewer days on the ventilator. The evidence suggests that targeting air volume is a better way to protect newborn lungs and brains.