Comparing the Prone versus Supine positions on the Oxygen Saturation in Mechanically Ventilated Low Birth Weight Infants

Background and Every year 30 million low-birth-weight neonates are born (23.8% of all births), and the low birth weight is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates (60% -80%) as well as the cause of other complications such as respiratory distress syndrome. Babies with such a syndrome need mechanical ventilation, where high volume ventilation is associated with vast pulmonary damage. Therefore, for improving the high ventilation in LBW neonates and decreasing the respiratory damages of the ventilator, laying the newborn in a suitable position to increase oxygen saturation can be one way to reduce the neonatal mortality rate. Therefore, the present study was aimed to compare the effects of the prone versus supine positions on the oxygen saturation in mechanically ventilated low birth weight infants. Methods and Materials: This experimental research was conducted on 40 LBW infants under mechanical ventilation in the NICU of Hakim Hospital in Neyshabour, Iran. The infants were randomly selected; the infants were positioned supine for 2 hours and then prone for 2 hours; then their ABG was controlled separately in the two positions. The two readings were compared. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS 11.5 using descriptive statistics and paired t-test. The mean birth weight of the infants was 16031±385.3 gr and their gestational age was 34.2±1.9 weeks. The mean oxygen saturation was 87.65 in the supine position and 96.04 in the prone position, which indicated a significant difference (p<0.001). Also, there was a significant difference between the mean arterial pressure of CO2 in the two positions (p<0.001). In low birth weight infants with mechanical ventilation, prone position increases the arterial oxygen saturation and ventilation of the infant.