Meta-analysis of individual patient data from 10 trials suggests that HFOV is as effective as conventional ventilation in preterm infants.
Preterm infants often require mechanical ventilation. Randomized comparisons of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) versus conventional ventilation (CV) have had conflicting results, and meta-analyses are difficult to interpret. Investigators of relevant randomized trials collaborated in a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 10 trials (3229 infants; mean gestational age, 27 weeks; mean birth weight, 989 g).
Risk for the primary outcomes — death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death or severe brain injury — did not differ between infants treated with HFOV and those treated with CV. HFOV was associated with slightly increased risk (borderline significance) for pulmonary air leak and a slight but significant reduction in th…