Nasal CPAP indications: which is an indication?

• A. Decrease work of breathing
• B. Increase pulmonary vascular resistance
• C. Increase intrapulmonary shunting
• D. Worsen oxygenation

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that nasal CPAP is used to support breathing by keeping the airways open and recruiting collapsed alveoli, which lowers the effort the baby must make to breathe. By delivering a constant positive pressure, CPAP increases functional residual capacity, improves ventilation-perfusion matching, and helps prevent airway collapse at the end of exhalation. This combination directly reduces the work of breathing and often improves overall oxygenation, which is why it’s used in neonatal care to support spontaneous breathing without intubation.

Increasing pulmonary vascular resistance would not be a goal and is not an indication; CPAP’s benefit is more likely to improve oxygenation and reduce shunt rather than worsen it. Increasing intrapulmonary shunting would worsen oxygenation and is not an indication. Worsening oxygenation is the opposite of what CPAP aims to achieve. Therefore, the indication aligns with decreasing work of breathing.