CPAP Therapy

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) nurtures and supports infant breathing by providing respiratory support throughout the respiratory cycle.

The application of CPAP maintains the infant's functional residual capacity by helping to prevent airway closure.

CPAP promotes gas exchange in the alveoli, which acts to:

Enhance airway patency
Improve lung volume recruitment and
Maintain infant energy reserves, without the complications associated with endotracheal intubation.

Benefits of CPAP with Optimal Humidity

Infant	Clinician
Minimizes airway drying and inflammation	Increases clinician confidence in CPAP
Reduces congestion and bronchoconstriction	Reduces nasal cleaning and maintenance
Improves secretion clearance	Can reduce the need for intubation
Better work of breathing	Reduces length of stay in hospital
Improves ventilation

The American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) guidelines recommend the use of heated humidification with infant nasal CPAP.

Optimal Humidity (37 °C, 44 mg/L) with CPAP is vital to support an infant’s breathing and protect its developing lungs.

Optimal Humidity protects the lungs to optimize outcomes for the infant by:

These effects combine to reduce the work of breathing.

Read our Therapy Overview brochure