Estrategias de ventilación a favor de la neuroprotección: ¿qué podemos hacer?

The improvement in prenatal and perinatal care techniques has led to achieving better survival rates of premature babies with increasingly lower gestational ages. It is known that their immaturity makes them more susceptible to the development of diseases in different organs and systems, with comorbidities that can affect their growth and quality of life. The brain is one of the most important organs because it is related with the comprehensive functionality of the individual, and complications (temporary or permanent) in health care management can lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations ranging from delayed neurodevelopment to cerebral palsy. For this reason, the neonatologist must be aware of this in order to prevent adverse outcomes, doing their best to ensure improved assisted ventilation strategies, adequate nutrition, drug therapies, early intervention therapies, timely rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up. It is important to remember that neurodevelopmental disorders (intellectual, sensorial, and motor alterations) may affect up to one third of preterm patients.