Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
08:58

Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs

Published on: October 31, 2025

581

Stimulating and maintaining spontaneous breathing during transition of preterm infants

Janneke Dekker1, Anton H van Kaam2, Charles C Roehr3,4

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.dekker@lumc.nl.

Pediatric Research
|June 20, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Supporting spontaneous breathing in preterm infants is key for effective non-invasive ventilation. This approach enhances lung inflation and reduces the need for invasive mechanical ventilation after birth.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Preterm infants often require respiratory support due to immature lungs and respiratory control.
  • Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is preferred over invasive methods to prevent lung injury, but faces challenges like mask leak and airway obstruction.
  • The larynx's role in airway obstruction during NIV has been underestimated; it remains closed except during spontaneous breaths.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review interventions aimed at stimulating and maintaining spontaneous breathing in preterm infants.
  • To highlight the importance of spontaneous breathing for successful non-invasive respiratory support.
  • To discuss strategies that preserve spontaneous breathing during respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) management.

Main Methods:

  • Narrative review of existing literature.
  • Focus on interventions for preterm infants in the first hours after birth.
  • Analysis of laryngeal function and spontaneous breathing in the context of respiratory support.

Main Results:

  • Stimulating spontaneous breathing can facilitate laryngeal opening, improving the efficacy of non-invasive ventilation.
  • Maintaining spontaneous breathing is crucial for successful NIV and can reduce the need for invasive mechanical ventilation.
  • New surfactant administration methods allow for spontaneous breathing preservation alongside non-invasive support.

Conclusions:

  • Enhancing spontaneous breathing is a vital strategy for optimizing respiratory support in preterm infants.
  • Addressing laryngeal function and promoting spontaneous breaths can overcome key barriers to effective NIV.
  • Interventions supporting spontaneous breathing are critical for improving outcomes in preterm neonates, particularly in the early hours post-birth.

More Related Videos

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit11:50

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Published on: January 7, 2020

27.6K
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

12.5K

Related Concept Videos

Breathing01:05

Breathing

The process of breathing, inhaling and exhaling, involves the coordinated movement of the chest wall, the lungs, and the muscles that move them. Two muscle groups with important roles in breathing are the diaphragm, located directly below the lungs, and the intercostal muscles, which lie between the ribs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity and creating more room for the lungs to expand. When the intercostal muscles contract, the ribs...
64.3K
Spontaneity02:21

Spontaneity

A spontaneous process is one that occurs naturally under certain conditions. A nonspontaneous process, on the other hand, will not take place unless it is “driven” by the continual input of energy from an external source. Processes have a natural tendency to occur in one direction under a given set of conditions. Water will naturally flow downhill (spontaneous process), but uphill flow (nonspontaneous process) requires outside intervention such as the use of a pump. Iron exposed to...
28.9K
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
22.8K
Properties of Transition Metals02:58

Properties of Transition Metals

Transition metals are defined as those elements that have partially filled d orbitals. As shown in Figure 1, the d-block elements in groups 3–12 are transition elements. The f-block elements, also called inner transition metals (the lanthanides and actinides), also meet this criterion because the d orbital is partially occupied before the f orbitals.
29.7K
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions01:58

Cooperative Allosteric Transitions

Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...
8.7K
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation02:39

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
20.7K