Neuronal damage in the preterm baboon: impact of the mode of ventilatory support.

We evaluated the impact of randomized ventilatory strategies on specific neuronal populations of the cerebral cortex of preterm baboons. In the first series, baboons (n = 5) were delivered at 125 days of gestation (dg; term, 185 days) and exposed to 14 days of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) and compared with 140 dg controls (n = 6). In the second series, baboons were delivered at 125 dg and ventilated by either i) PPV for 1 day, followed by 27 days of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (early [EnCPAP]; n = 6) or ii) PPV for 5 days, followed by 23 days of CPAP (delayed [DnCPAP]; n = 4).