Electrical Activity of the Diaphragm (Edi) Metrics in Premature Infants Receiving Invasive Mechanical Ventilation Versus Noninvasive Respiratory Support

The lower Edi minimum in the non-intubated group suggests less severe lung disease and milder respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), requiring less stimulus and external support to generate adequate distending pressure to maintain alveolar patency at end-expiration. The higher delta Edi indicates a greater intrinsic ability to generate an adequate tidal volume for ventilation. There is wide variation in practice regarding modes of ventilation, both invasive and noninvasive, with no clear best practice. We lack objective data to guide our practice. This study is the first to examine Edi metrics as a monitoring tool to assess the degree of disease severity and sufficiency of support provided. Our results suggest that using Edi metrics may provide more data to help standardize and guide clinical practice.