Effect of continuous positive airway pressure versus nasal cannula on late preterm and term infants with transient tachypnea of the newborn.

Objective: To compare continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with nasal cannula (NC) as primary noninvasive respiratory therapy in hypoxic infants for transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of infants born at ≥34 weeks of gestation between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018.

Result: After adjusting for gestational age and birth weight, the maximum fractional inspired oxygen (FiO) was significantly lower in the CPAP group with an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.76-0.96). Although nonsignificant, the CPAP group needed 32% fewer hours on oxygen with an IRR of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.38-1.22). The duration of respiratory support and the incidence of pneumothorax were similar between both groups.

Conclusion: Comparing CPAP with NC as initial noninvasive respiratory therapy for TTN, significantly lower maximum FiO was observed in the infants of CPAP group without increase in the incidence of pneumothorax.