NIV-NAVA versus non-invasive respiratory support in preterm neonates: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

To analyze the clinical and physiological outcomes of NIV-NAVA in preterm infants compared with other non-invasive respiratory support.

We conducted a meta-analysis of RCTs and randomized crossover studies comparing NIV-NAVA to other non-invasive strategies in preterm neonates.

NIV-NAVA was superior to other non-invasive support in maximum EAdi (MD − 0.66 µV; 95% CI − 1.17 to −0.15; p = 0.01), asynchrony index (MD − 49.8%; 95% CI − 63.1 to −36.5; p < 0.01), and peak inspiratory pressure (MD − 2.2 cmH2O; 95% CI − 2.7 to −1.7; p < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences in the incidences of intubation (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.56–1.48; p = 0.71), reintubation (RR 0.72; 95% CI 0.45–1.16; p = 0.18), or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.37–1.60; p = 0.48).

NIV-NAVA was associated with improvements in maximum Edi, asynchrony index, and peak inspiratory pressure relative to other non-invasive respiratory strategies, without significant differences in clinical outcomes between groups.