Prone position in spontaneously breathing infants with pneumonia

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate further the effect of prone positioning on oxygen saturation (SpO2) and respiratory mechanics in spontaneously breathing infants with pneumonia. SpO2 and respiratory mechanics were measured in the supine and prone positions in 17 infants. Prone positioning resulted in statistically significant increases in mean (+/- SD) SpO2 (95.52+/-2.87 to 98.00+/-2.40%, p = 0.0002) and respiratory system compliance (5.99+/-2.52 to 7.93+/-4.30 ml/cm H2O, p = 0.02). This suggests that prone positioning is another beneficial supportive measure for spontaneously breathing infants with pneumonia.