Respiratory compliance of healthy newborn infants measured by endinspiratory airway occlusion technique in the first hours of life

The compliance of the respiratory system (Crs) has been measured by an airway occlusion technique in 78 healthy newborn infants [gestational age (GA) 36.2 +/- 2.9 weeks, range 28-41 weeks; birth weight (BW) 2.418 +/- 0.879 kg, range 0.830-4.350 kg; body height (BH) 45.2 +/- 4.4 cm, range 33-52 cm in the first 8 h after birth (206.2 +/- 100.8 min, range 45-480 min). The prediction equations were (Crs, ml/cm H2O): Crs = 0.087.GA -1.173 (r = 0.49, p less than 0.0001), Crs = 0.372.BW +1.067 (r = 0.62, p less than 0.0001), Crs = 0.076.BH -1.493 (r = 0.61, p less than 0.0001). The Crs values were very similar to the values measured in curarized newborn infants and quoted in the literature. There was only one newborn infant with a Crs of less than 1 ml/cm H2O (GA = 34 weeks, BW = 0.830 kg, BH = 33 cm, Crs = 0.909 ml/cm H2O).