Prematurity Related Ventilatory Control (PRE-VENT) - Specific Aim 2
Infant,Premature

About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Infant,Premature focused on measuring apnea of prematurity, bradycardia, hypoxemic episode, permissive hypercapnia
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Inborn infants weighing 401-1,000 grams on admission and/or 22w 0/7d to 28w 6/7d (<29 weeks) inclusive completed weeks of gestation
- Infants eligible for full care and resuscitation as necessary, and surviving beyond 24 h of age
- Enrollment in main study protocol (Aim 1 of PreVENT Apnea) at <1 week post-natal age
- Informed consent from parent/guardian
- This study will enroll the subset of infants from Aim 1 who are still intubated or on nasal IMV at 2 weeks postnatal age, meet blood gas criteria (arterial or capillary arterialized blood gas values done q12-24h, as most infants do not have an arterial line at 2 weeks: pH >7.25, PaCO2 >40 mm Hg), have TcCO2 monitoring with TcCO2 values that trend and correlate appropriately with PaCO2, and are not judged too unstable by the Attending neonatologist.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Refusal or withdrawal of consent
- Major congenital malformations (e.g., not including patent ductus arteriosus, small hernia)
Sites / Locations
- Regional Neonatal ICU and CCN, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Higher TcCO2
Lower TcCO2
The investigators will evaluate the effects of attempts to increase blood carbon dioxide levels within a narrow range of 5 mm Hg (well within the range of usual clinical practice) in a cross-over manner for 24 hours at a time, over a 4-day period, and use Cardiorespiratory Monitoring to evaluate control of breathing. The investigators will attempt to adjust PCO2 by 5 mm Hg higher from baseline (to max of 70 mm Hg), as long as pH is >7.2. The first 24 hours of the data collection will be the baseline data. Over the next 72 hours, the investigators will evaluate 3 interventions in a cross-over manner, with the initial intervention randomly assigned: Intervention 1 (24-48h of data; Increase TcCO2 by 5 mm Hg), Intervention 2 (48-72h; TcCO2 back to baseline), and Intervention 3 (72-96h; increase TcCO2 again by 5 mm Hg).
The investigators will evaluate the effects of attempts to decrease blood carbon dioxide levels within a narrow range of 5 mm Hg (well within the range of usual clinical practice) in a cross-over manner for 24 hours at a time, over a 4-day period, and use Cardiorespiratory Monitoring to evaluate control of breathing. The investigators will attempt to adjust PCO2 by 5 mm Hg lower than baseline (to minimum of 40 mm Hg), as long as pH is <7.45.