The Diaphragmatic Initiated Ventilatory Assist (DIVA) Trial

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common complication of prematurity and is the leading respiratory cause of childhood morbidity. Ventilator induced lung injury (VILI) an accepted and important contributor to BPD. Exposure to oxygen and positive pressure ventilation leads to developmental arrest and parenchymal injury in the immature preterm lung. Because even brief exposure to intubated positive pressure ventilation is injurious, avoiding invasive mechanical ventilation is the most widely acknowledged strategy to prevent VILI and the long-term sequela of BPD. Therefore, time on ventilators and rates of successful extubation are important endpoints of therapy.

Non-invasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA) is an FDA approved technology that consistently synchronizes non-invasive respiratory support with infant respiratory drive. The Diaphragmatic Initiated Ventilatory Assist (DIVA) trial is an unblinded, pragmatic, multicenter phase III randomized clinical trial in extremely preterm infants 23 0/7- 28 6/7 weeks gestational age to determine if NIV-NAVA, compared with non-synchronized nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NS-NIPPV), prevents extubation failure within 5 days (120 hours) of extubation from mechanical ventilation