Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Surfactant Depletion Combined with Injurious Ventilation Results in a Reproducible Model of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDS
Published on: April 7, 2021
Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist vs pressure support ventilation in infants recovering from severe acute
Marco Piastra1, Daniele De Luca2, Roberta Costa3
1Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Objective:
Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) is a new ventilator modality with an innovative synchronization technique. Our aim is to verify if NAVA is feasible and safe in terms of physiological and clinical variables in infants recovering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Design:
This is a pilot nested study to help future trial design.
Setting:
The study was performed in third-level academic pediatric intensive care units.
Patients:
Infants affected by severe ARDS requiring high-frequency ventilation and weaned with NAVA during 2010 were included. Controls (2:1 ratio) were ARDS infants weaned with pressure support ventilation (PSV) during 2008-2009 matched for age, gas exchange impairment, and weight.
Main Outcome Measures:
The main outcome measures were the physiological and ventilator parameters and the duration of ventilator support in PSV or NAVA.
Results:
Ten infants treated with NAVA and 20 with PSV were studied. Heart rate (P < .001) and mean arterial pressure (P < .001) increased less during NAVA than during PSV. Similarly, Pao2/Fio2 ratio decreased less in NAVA than in PSV (P < .001). Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist also resulted in lower Paco2 (P < .001) and peak pressure (P = .001), as well as higher minute ventilation (P = .013). COMFORT score (P = .004) and duration of support were lower in NAVA than in PSV (P = .011).
Conclusions:
Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist is safe and suitable in infants recovering from severe ARDS. It could provide better results than PSV and is worth to be investigated in a multicenter randomized trial.
More Related Videos
04:56Laryngeal Mask Airway LMA Placement in a Neonatal Patient Simulator Using a Non-Inflatable Supraglottic Airway SGA
Published on: July 14, 2023
05:39Author Spotlight: A Non-Intubated Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery with Multimodal Analgesia and Sevoflurane Inhalation Anesthesia
Published on: May 26, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Mechanical Ventilation III: Noninvasive Ventilation
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation...
Ventilatory Modes
There are three ventilatory modes: full support, partial support, and spontaneous. These are described below.
Full Support Modes
Full support modes include controlled mechanical ventilation, continuous mandatory...
Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...
Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...
Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include:
Mechanical Ventilation I: Indication and Settings