Incidence of Barotrauma and Associated Factors in Neonates

Before the 1960s, preterm infants with severe pulmonary disease had high mortality because the technology for ventilatory and pharmacological support was not available, so treatment consisted of general supportive measures; until mechanical ventilation (MV) was introduced with biomedical equipment that allowed ventilation, preterm infants as well as term infants with respiratory compromise and pulmonary immaturity were more likely to survive. Today, MV is the standard treatment for neonates with severe respiratory distress. According to the hospital conditions and technological availability where a newborn with respiratory compromise is born, there is a differentiated rate of survival; in the case of emerging countries, the survival rate of a newborn with birth weight less than 1,000 grams depends on the conditions and technological availability and on the health personnel trained in the care of premature and extremely premature neonates.