OBJECTIVES: There is a tendency to use noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as a substitute for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants who need respiratory support. Two important modes of NIV include nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) and nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). We sought to compare the efficacy of NCPAP and NIPPV as early respiratory support in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome in reducing the need for intubation, surfactant administration, and mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized clinical trial. Sixty-one preterm infants with a gestational age of 28 to 32 weeks and a birth weight < 1,500 g were randomly allocated to early NCPAP (n = 31) or NIPPV (n = 30) groups. The primary outcome was the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation in first 72 hours of life and the secondary outcome was oxygen dependency beyond day 28 post-birth. RESULTS: Surfactant replacement therapy was done in 15 neonates (50.0%) in the NIPPV group and 19 neonates (61.3%) in the NCPAP group, odds ratio (OR) 1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57 to 4.37; p = 0.370). Intubation and mechanical ventilation in the first 72 hours of life were needed in five cases (16.7%) in the NIPPV group and two cases (6.5%) in the NCPAP group, OR 2.90 (95% CI 0.51 to 16.27; p = 0.250). The mean duration of hospitalization was 26.2 +/- 17.4 days in the NIPPV group and 38.4 +/- 19.2 days in the NCPAP group, p = 0.009. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) occurred in two (6.7%) neonates in the NIPPV group and eight (25.8%) neonates in the NCPAP group, p = 0.080. CONCLUSIONS: NIPPV and NCPAP are similarly effective as initial respiratory support in preterm infants in reducing the need for mechanical ventilation and occurrence of BPD. The duration of hospitalization was significantly reduced using NIPPV in our study.

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