Weaning strategies for the withdrawal of non-invasive respiratory support applying continuous positive airway pressure in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The optimal method to wean preterm infants from non-invasive respiratory support (NIVRS) with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or high-flow nasal cannula is still unclear, and methods used vary considerably between neonatal units.

Objective: Perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the most effective strategy for weaning preterm infants born before 37 weeks' gestation from NIVRS.

Method: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Google and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomised controlled trials comparing different weaning strategies of NIVRS in infants born before 37 weeks' gestation.