Background. The advent of antenatal steroid and surfactant replacement therapy has significantly altered the pattern of respiratory support required by infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Fewer infants with RDS now require positive pressure mechanical ventilation (PPV), while an increasing number require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) support.

Objective, design, and subjects. To determine the feasibility of substituting inexpensive CPAP devices for mechanical ventilators, we prospectively studied the CPAP and PPV needs of all 84 infants requiring mechanical ventilator support at the 16 bed level II/III NICU at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital during a six month period from March to September 1994, and surveyed the infant mechanical ventilator needs of the greater Hartford region in Connecticut.

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