Sustained Aeration of Infant Lungs Trial

The SAIL trial aims to provide evidence for changing policy or standard of care. The context of this trial is an unacceptable rate of poor long-term outcomes of preterm infants born as Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns (ELGAN) \<1000 g birthweight (BW), but especially for those born between 23-26 weeks' gestational age (GA). Such infants are the most vulnerable and immature in all organ systems, including the lungs and the brain. These infants are at high risk of death and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) during their initial hospitalization, neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) and pulmonary problems in infancy and childhood. The SAIL trial focuses on facilitating the difficult transition of these most vulnerable infants from a liquid filled in-utero lung to an ex-utero air-filled lung. Sustained Inflation (SI) is a promising delivery room (DR) intervention, with evidence of short-term efficacy with minimal risk of additional harm beyond current standard accepted Newborn Resuscitation Program (NRP) Guidelines. This protocol proposes a fully informed consenting procedure. We propose to evaluate the impact of a SI in the DR on the need for mechanical ventilation in the first week of life which would also impact mortality rates and the incidence and severity of BPD.