Ventilation Distribution During Spontaneous Breathing in Healthy Newborn Infants

Ventilation Distribution Observed With Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) During Spontaneous Breathing in Healthy Newborn Infants

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an evolving monitoring tool for respiratory support in neonatal and pediatric intensive care. In this observational study basic EIT parameters will be measured on 20 healthy newborn infants during spontaneous breathing and assess the effect of position changes in ventilation distribution.

NEO SensorBelts will be used to observe ventilation distribution in healthy newborn infants during quiet spontaneous breathing. Child's position will be changed 5 times every 10 minutes in a random order. Positions observed will be: left lateral, right lateral, supine, prone face to left, prone face to right and supine with the bed tilted 30 degrees. Total duration for the recording will be 1 hour.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian
• Gestational age 37+0 - 42+0 weeks
• Uneventful follow-up in maternity ward

Exclusion Criteria:

• Respiratory distress
• Admission to NICU
• Thorax skin lesions
• Prior participation in this study