Electrical cardiometry (bioimpedance) is an impedance-based method that has been recently introduced for continuous noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring for cardiac output (CO) and TFC in both term and preterm infants.~TFC is the sum of the total fluid volume found in the chest cavity; it is measured as the baseline resistance (bioimpedance) to the passage of a small electrical current through all chest tissues.~Larger TFC indicates a higher total thoracic fluid volume. TFC measurement has been correlated with heart failure symptoms, net fluid balance, and chest radiographic findings of abnormal pulmonary fluid content in adults.~Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable technique for physicians to complement physical examination findings and has emerged as an alternative option to overcome the limitations of chest x rays (CXRs). Moreover, LUS shows better diagnostic accuracy than CXR in some critical conditions and has been successfully adapted in NICUs for the diagnosis of several diseases.~We thought that TFC monitoring may be able to predict the need for surfactant administration or positive pressure ventilation requirement; whether invasive or non-invasive; in preterm neonates with respiratory distress comparable to LUS.
A prospective cohort study aims to evaluate the predictive value of thoracic fluid content measured by electric bioimpedance for detecting the need for surfactant administration or positive pressure ventilation requirement; whether invasive or non-invasive; in preterm neonates with respiratory distress and to compare it to lung ultrasound.