The lack of decline in chronic lung disease of prematurity despite the generalized use of surfactant and alternative modes of ventilation such as high-frequency oscillation (HFO) has been attributed to some misunderstanding of how HFO has to be used. We used a new ventilatory strategy in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, by initiating HFO immediately after intubation and attempting early lung volume optimization before surfactant was administered.