The impacts of prone position on the blood oxygen saturations and heart rates of preterm infants under the mechanical ventilation

Background: The methods of baby's position are an important critical factor in ventilation and oxygenation of tissues. Although the prone position as one of the recommended position has beneficial effect on the development of premature infants, little research has been done. Methods: In a clinical trial among mechanically ventilated infants, hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), 35 preterm infants were selected in 2014-2015. Each infant was positioned in a supine (control group) and prone (case group) positions for 2 hours, respectively. The values of blood oxygen saturations (SpO2) and heart rates were assessed and recorded every 10 minutes by a cardio-respiratory monitoring device. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v.22. Results: The mean heart rates were 136.909±2.861 and 136.600±2.560 beats per minute in the supine and prone positions, respectively. Heart rates were within the normal ranges in both positions, but the range of fluctuation was slightly lower and statistically non-significant in the prone position (p-value=0.805). The average of SpO2 was 92.364% and 95.046% in the supine and prone positions, both of them were within the normal range. Conclusions: This study showed that the prone position compared to the supine position has a more favorable effect of SpO2 and heart rate fluctuations in preterm infants.