Grant: Operating Grant

Neonatalogists increasingly use non-invasive modes of respiratory support for treating respiratory insufficiency in newborns. Thus, a ventilator blows air/oxygen through the nose (via a mask or small nasal cannulae) instead of into a tube inserted into the windpipe. That however can lead to unwanted consequences, such as blowing the gas into the digestive system instead of the lungs, due to closure of the larynx, acting as a small valve at the entrance of the windpipe. In the forthcoming 5 years, we propose to study and compare different modes of non-invasive, positive pressure respiratory support with regards to those unwanted effects. For that purpose, we will use our well-established full-term and preterm lamb models of nasal respiratory support. New knowledge drawn from those experiments will then be transfered to neonatal intensive care units for helping clinicians to make better choice between the various respiratory support modalities.