Background: There is no consensus on how to wean infants from Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (NCPAP). We hypothesized that ceasing NCPAP abruptly would decrease the duration required, compared with a gradual wean.
Methods: This retrospective chart review included preterm infants requiring NCPAP for over 48 hours. Cohort1 weaned NCPAP by cycling on and off, while cohort 2 ceased NCPAP abruptly. The primary outcome was total days on NCPAP. Secondary outcomes included rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, weight gain, duration of hospital stay, and compliance with the use of stability criteria.
Results: 81 infants met inclusion criteria in cohort one, and 89 in cohort two. Median days on NCPAP were 17.0 and 11.0 days, respectively, not significant. There was no significant difference in secondary outcomes.
Conclusions: There was no significant association between the two NCPAP weaning protocols and the outcomes studied.
Keywords: Preterm infant; bronchopulmonary dysplasia; nasal continuous positive airway pressure; wean.