Adjustment of high flow nasal cannula rates using real-time work of breathing indices in premature infants with respiratory insufficiency

Objective To assess the feasibility of real-time monitoring of work of breathing (WOB) indices and the impact of adjusting HFNC flow on breathing synchrony and oxygen stability in premature infants. Study design A prospective, observational study of infants stable on HFNC. The flow adjusted per predetermined algorithm. Respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) noninvasively measured WOB. A high-resolution pulse oximeter collected oxygen saturation and heart rate data. Summary statistics and mixed linear models were used. Results Baseline data for 32 infants, final analysis of 21 infants. Eighty-one percent with abnormal WOB. Sixty-two percent demonstrated 20% improvement in WOB. For infants with gestational age