Oxygen saturation targeting in preterm infants receiving continuous positive airway pressure.

Objective: The precision of oxygen saturation (SpO2) targeting in preterm infants on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is incompletely characterized. We therefore evaluated SpO2 targeting in infants solely receiving CPAP, aiming to describe their SpO2 profile, to document the frequency of prolonged hyperoxia and hypoxia episodes and of fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) adjustments, and to explore the relationships with neonatal intensive care unit operational factors.

Study Design: Preterm infants <37 weeks' gestation in 2 neonatal intensive care units were studied if they were receiving CPAP and in supplemental oxygen at the beginning of each 24-hour recording.