[Application of sustained lung inflation in preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks: a Meta analysis].

Objective: To systematically review the effect of sustained lung inflation (SLI) in preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, China Biology Medicine disc, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, and Weipu Database were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the application of SLI versus noninvasive positive pressure ventilation alone in preterm infants. Revman 5.3 was used to perform a Meta analysis for the RCTs which met the inclusion criteria.

Results: A total of 9 RCTs were included, with 1 432 preterm infants in total (with a gestational age of 23-33.7 weeks). The Meta analysis showed that compared with the control group, the SLI group had a significantly lower proportion of the infants who needed mechanical ventilation within 72 hours (51.9% vs 56.9%, RR=0.91, P=0.04, 95%CI: 0.83-0.99). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the mortality rate, rate of use of pulmonary surfactant, and incidence rates of related complications (bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumothorax, and grade III-IV intracranial hemorrhage) (P>0.05).

Conclusions: SLI can reduce the use of mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks and does not increase the risk of other complications.