Duration of continuous positive airway pressure: associations with length of stay and oral feeding patterns in a level IV neonatal intensive care unit

Objective: Examine associations between postmenstrual age (PMA) at CPAP discontinuation, length of stay (LOS) and PMA at achievement of oral feeds in preterm infants. Study design: Retrospective chart review of infants <33 weeks gestational age was performed over a period of practice change (2017–2022) implementing extended CPAP use. Clinical interventions, outcomes and LOS were reviewed. Results: The study population included 571 infants. Over the study period, PMA at CPAP discontinuation significantly increased as did PMA at full oral feeds but there were no significant differences in LOS. Linear regression modeling identified that older age at CPAP discontinuation was a predictor of longer LOS but effect size was small at 14 h per week of CPAP. Conclusions: LOS was not prolonged in a clinically meaningful way following extended CPAP use, despite delayed oral feeding, in our study cohort.