1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine; Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
2 Departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, Children's Orthopedic Hospital, Seattle, WA 98195
3 Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, WA 98195
The commentary by Wung et al. (Pediatrics 58: 793, December 1976) on our controlled trial of continuous distending pressure (CDP) for hyaline membrane disease (Pediatrics 58:800, December 1976) raises some questions which merit further discussion.
The first question is the meaning of a negative result (no significant difference) in a controlled trial. Wung et al. suggest that any conclusion with regard to mortality is unjustified in our study because of an apparent trend toward lower mortality with CDP.