Respiratory Compliance of Healthy Newborn Infants Measured by Endinspiratory Airway Occlusion Technique in the First Hours of Life

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Abstract
The compliance of the respiratory system (Crs) has been measured by an airway occlusion technique in 78 healthy newborn infants [gestational age (GA) 36.2 ± 2.9 weeks, range 28–41 weeks; birth weight (BW) 2.418 ± 0.879 kg, range 0.830–4.350 kg; body height (BH) 45.2 ± 4.4 cm, range 33–52 cm in the first 8 h after birth (206.2 ± 100.8 min, range 45–480 min). The prediction equations were (Crs, ml/cm H2O): Crs = 0.087 GA -1.173 (r = 0.49, p < 0.0001), Crs = 0.372 BW +1.067 (r = 0.62, p < 0.0001), Crs = 0.076- BH -1.493 (r = 0.61, p < 0.0001). The Crs values were very similar to the values measured in curarized newborn infants and quoted in the literature. There was only one newborn infant with a Crs of less than 1 ml/cm H2O (GA = 34 weeks, BW = 0.830 kg, BH = 33 cm, Crs = 0.909 ml/cm H2O).