OPTIMISE

The OPTIMISE trial aims to find out the best way to support very premature babies who have difficulty breathing at birth.

Babies born very prematurely often need help with their breathing because their lungs are not fully developed. OPTIMISE will compare two types of non-invasive breathing support already used in neonatal units: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV).

The trial will investigate whether one approach is better at helping babies survive without developing a serious lung condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

OPTIMISE will recruit 1,884 babies born at least eight weeks early from approximately 45 neonatal units across the UK. Babies taking part will have an equal chance of receiving either CPAP or NIPPV as their initial breathing support.

The trial is being run by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Clinical Trials Unit (NPEU CTU) and funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme.

For more information, please contact the OPTIMISE team at optimise@npeu.ox.ac.uk