Myth: mechanical ventilation is a therapeutic relic.

Non-invasive respiratory support techniques such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) have been increasingly used for management of surfactant-deficient lung disease in preterm infants. The successful use of this approach depends upon the condition of the baby at birth and requires the establishment of spontaneous breathing at birth. The reported advantages of CPAP in observational studies demonstrating a reduction in chronic lung disease have not been substantiated in recently reported well-designed randomised trials. This approach is now more established in larger and more mature preterm infants, and proper patient selection with close observation should be exercised when used in extremely low gestational age infants.