LAUSR

OBJECTIVE  Delivery room (DR) management may play an important role in the development and prevention of lung injury. Therefore, in a cohort of low birth weight infants (LBW), we investigated the effects of two different lung recruitment maneuvers, such as positive pressure ventilation (PPV) and sustained inflation (SI) on adrenomedullin (AM), a well-established lung-specific vasoactive agent. STUDY DESIGN  This is a prospective case-control randomized study in 44 LBW infants spontaneously breathing with respiratory failure at birth requiring respiratory support. LBW were randomized to receive PPV (n = 22) or SI (n = 22) support. AM was measured from blood in samples collected at birth from arterial artery (BLT0) and at 1-hour (BLT1) and at 24-hour (BLT2) from peripheral venous site. AM assessment in urine samples was performed at 1-hour (URT1) and at 24-hour (URT2). RESULTS  No significant differences in AM (p > 0.05) blood (T0-T2) and urine (T1, T2) levels were observed between groups. CONCLUSION  The present data, showing the absence of any differences in AM blood and urine levels, suggest that PPV and SI are both feasible and equally effective DR maneuvers. The findings open the way to further studies evaluating the effects of PPV and SI on short-/long-term respiratory outcome through biomarkers assessment.