Babies who don't get better: When it's not respiratory distress syndrome

Most preterm and late preterm infants who require mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure resolve their disease process and can be extubated. A small percentage, however, continues to exhibit respiratory failure and remain ventilator dependent. There are myriad conditions that the clinician needs to consider, some of which are treatable, but some of which are lethal. Strategies for diagnosis and management are discussed herein.