Helium-oxygen mixture in respiratory distress syndrome: a double-blind study.

In a randomized, controlled trial, the lungs of infants with respiratory distress syndrome were ventilated with either a helium-oxygen mixture or a nitrogen-oxygen mixture. In the helium-oxygen group, infants required a lower inspired oxygen concentration and a shorter duration of ventilation. There were also fewer deaths and fewer cases of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the helium-oxygen group.