Characterizing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) Belly Syndrome in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

Objective: Reproducibly define CPAP Belly Syndrome (CBS) in preterm infants and describe associated demographics, mechanical factors, and outcomes.

Study design: A retrospective case-control study was conducted in infants <32 weeks gestation in the Stanford Children's NICU from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. CBS was radiographically defined by a pediatric radiologist. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and comparator tests.

Results: Analysis included 41 infants with CBS and 69 infants without. CBS was associated with younger gestational age (median 27.7 vs 30 weeks, p < 0.001) and lower birthweight (median 1.00 vs 1.31 kg, p < 0.001). Infants with CBS were more likely to receive bilevel respiratory support and higher positive end expiratory pressure. Infants with CBS took longer to advance enteral feeds (median 10 vs 7 days, p = 0.003) and were exposed to more abdominal radiographs.

Conclusions: Future CBS therapies should target small infants, prevent air entry from above, and aim to reduce time to full enteral feeds and radiographic exposure.