Respiratory rate, tidal volume and ventilation of newborn infants in the prone and supine positions

The respiratory rate, tidal volume and ventilation were measured in newborn infants with a body plethysmograph. A continuous recording revealed that, with one exception, no significant change occurred in these parameters when seven mature infants were turned from supine to prone position or vice versa. Two mature infants with periodic breathing, one of whom had congenital heart disease, exhibited periods of apnea when placed from the supine into the prone position.