Management of respiratory distress in moderate and late preterm infants: clinical trajectories in the Neobs study

Management of respiratory distress (RD) in the extremely preterm newborn meets recommendations. Few data are available concerning the management and the clinical course of moderate and late preterms with RD. Clinical course and management among moderate (30-33 weeks (wks) of gestation) and late preterms (34-36 wks) were assessed in the Neobs study, a French neonatal observational cohort study (2018) of preterms with RD in the first 24 h of life. Clinical course was defined as stable (use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) only), initially severe (initial use of invasive ventilation (IV)), and worsening (switch off IV after NIV support). Surfactant therapy instillation and withdrawal of all ventilator support at 72 h were recorded. Among moderate (n = 279) and late (n = 281) preterms, the clinical course was similar (p < 0.27): stable (82.1 and 86.8%), worsening (11.8% and 9.3%), and initially severe RD (6.1% and 3.9%), respectively. Surfactant was administered more frequently in the moderate versus late preterm groups (28.3% vs 16.7%; p < 0.001). The recommended surfactant dose (200 mg/kg) was administered in 53.3-83.3% of moderate and 42.1-63.2% of late preterms according to the clinical course. Withdrawal of ventilatory support at 72 h was observed in 40.0% and 70.0% of moderate and late preterms, respectively (p < 0.05), and was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with clinical course (the minus proportion among the worsening group).Conclusion: While the proportion of clinical course pattern is similar in moderate and late preterm infants, the management of RD varies with gestational age, with late preterm infants being managed later in life and moderate premature infants weaned from ventilation at a later stage.What is Known:center dot There is a lack of clear guidance on the management of respiratory distress (RD) in moderate-to-late preterm infants.center dot Neobs was a multicentre, observational study designed to characterise the real-world management of moderate-to-late preterm infants with RD in France.What is New:center dot Secondary analyses of Neobs study data found that ventilatory support strategies were dependent on gestational age despite a similar clinical course.center dot At 30-33 weeks of gestation (wks), infants were more likely to receive non-invasive ventilation at delivery, while 34-36 wks infants were more likely to be managed using a wait-and-see approach.