Relief of Protracted Hypercarbia by High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilator in a Young Infant with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Conventional ventilators have their limitations in management of certain conditions such as protracted hypercarbia in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Although high-frequency ventilators (HFV) may be less effective in patients with lung diseases complicated by high airway resistance, such as BPD, high-frequency oscillatory ventilators (HFOV) can still provide an alternative treatment of choice due to its property of active exhalation, in addition to its tidal volume being less than dead space and its minute ventilation being more dependent on tidal volume. This report describes 3 episodes of successful relief of protracted hypercarbia in a young infant with BPD using HFOV after failure of conventional ventilatory therapy.