Objective: High flow nasal cannula therapy (HFT) has been shown to be similar to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in neonates with respect to avoiding intubation. The objective of the current study is to determine if there are trends for adverse safety and long-term respiratory outcomes in very low birth weight infants (<1500 g) from centers using HFT as their primary mode of non-invasive respiratory support compared to data from the largest neonatal outcomes database (Vermont Oxford Network; VON).
Methods: A multicenter, retrospective analysis of pulmonary outcomes data was performed for the calendar years 2009, 2010 and 2011.