ABSTRAm. We tested the hypothesis that high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) would result in decreased pulmonary barotrauma in infants with hyaline membrane disease by comparing HFOV at 10 Hz to conventional positive pressure ventilation with continual distending airway pressure (PPV/PEEP) in premature baboons with hyaline membrane disease. Nineteen baboon fetuses were randomized to one of two treatment groups, delivered at 140 * 2 days, and, after stabilization and instrumentation of PPVIPEEP, placed in their respective ventilator group. Animals on conventional ventilation were managed by adjustment of tidal volume and frequency (to 1 Hz) to keep PaCOz below 55 and by adjustment of the mean airway pressure. One of the "HFOV" group died of cardiovascular complications before going on HFOV and was eliminated from data analysis. The remaining HFOV baboons survived the 11-day experimental period without evidence of airleak. Six of the 11 prematures treated with PPV/PEEP developed pulmonary interstitial emphysema and/or pneumothorax and five of the animals died within 48 h. The intergroup differences in airleak were significant (p < 0.05). Mean airway pressure (measured at the proximal airway) was higher initially with HFOV but then was lowered more rapidly than in the PPVIPEEP animals. The arterial to alveolar oxygen ratio rose and the FIOZ could be lowered more rapidly with HFOV than with conventional ventilation. These differences reached significance by 20 h. After 60 h there were no significant differences between HFOV and the PPVIPEEP survivors. HFOV resulted in more uniform saccular expansion, higher arterial to alveolar oxygen ratio, less oxygen exposure, and decreased acute barotrauma when compared to PPV/ PEEP. Although initially mean airway pressure was in the HFOV animals this was not associated with measurable baroinjury. These data support the efficacy of HFOV in the treatment of prematures with hyaline membrane disease. (Pediatr Res 21: 594-602, 1987) Abbreviations HFOV, high frequency oscillatory ventilation -Paw, mean airway pressure HMD, hyaline membrane disease Pa/A 02, arterial to alveolar oxygen ratio HFV, high frequency, low volume ventilation FawOz, FawC02, I:E, inspiratory:expiratory ratio ANOVA, analysis of variance PIE, pulmonary interstitial emphysema HFV has been proposed as an alternative to conventional PPV/PEEP in the management of infants with HMD (1-4). Interest in this technique has been generated by the observation that, with an appropriate strategy, HFV can accomplish gas exchange at lower intrapulmonary intraluminal distending pressures, thus potentially reducing the risk of baroinjury (5-8).The mechanisms of lung injury in infants with HMD are incompletely understood. Although most investigators believe that pulmonary immaturity, baroinjury, oxygen toxicity, and infection play a role in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, there is no general agreement about the relative importance of each factor (9-1 3). The premature baboon, delivered at 140 days gestatio...