Dell'Orto V, et al. - In this prospective, cross-sectional, blinded study, the researchers established the reference values, diagnostic accuracy, and effect of various factors on cell count in intubated preterm neonates subjected to nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage. This investigation involved preterm neonates ventilated for any reason who underwent nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage if they had not previously received postnatal antibiotics or steroids. They provided reference values for airway neutrophil counts in ventilated preterm neonates. It was observed in the findings that bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils significantly increase after 2 days of ventilation. They reported that neutrophil count had moderate accuracy to diagnose pneumonia, but only within the initial 2 days of ventilation.