Effect of Mechanical Ventilation on Intestinal Permeability in Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Mechanical ventilation (MV) and ventilator strategies can induce or aggravate lung injury and may contribute to the development of distant organ failure, including the gastrointestinal tract. A retrospective cohort study was performed among 61 preterm infants, with a gestational age of 25-36 weeks, admitted at a neonatal intensive care unit. Intestinal permeability was measured by the sugar absorption test (SAT). Mechanically ventilated preterm infants were compared to not mechanically ventilated preterm infants. To analyze the effect of parameters of MV on intestinal permeability, we calculated the oxygenation index (OI). Intestinal permeability was not different in ventilated and not ventilated preterm infants within 48hr after birth. Although OI was < 10 in most of the infants, OI was positively correlated with the SAT, suggesting that the degree of MV was correlated with intestinal permeability.