ObjectiveTo systematically review the effectiveness and safety of interventions which target to improve the rate of successful extubation in preterm infants.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chongqing VIP database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database were searched for articles published from the dates of establishment of databases to August 2020, which compared different noninvasive respiratory support models or different doses of caffeine to improve the rate of successful extubation in preterm infants in randomized controlled trials. The references of included articles were also retrieved. And then a meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 33 randomized controlled trials involving 4 536 preterm infants were included. Compared with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP), high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) reduced the nose injury rate [odds ratio (OR)=0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.15, 0.57), P=0.000 3] and the pneumothorax rate [OR=0.18, 95%CI (0.06, 0.55), P=0.003]; nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) reduced the extubation failure rate [OR=0.33, 95%CI (0.23, 0.48), P<0.000 01], the reintubation rate [OR=0.36, 95%CI (0.20, 0.65), P=0.000 7], the respiratory failure rate [OR=0.33, 95%CI (0.17, 0.64), P=0.000 9], and the pneumothorax rate [OR=0.29, 95%CI (0.12, 0.70), P=0.006]; and biphasic positive airway pressure (BiPAP) reduced the reintubation rate [OR=0.21, 95%CI (0.09, 0.46), P=0.000 1]. Compared with low-dose caffeine, high-dose caffeine reduced the extubation failure rate [OR=0.44, 95%CI (0.32, 0.60), P<0.000 01] and the bronchopulmonary dysplasia rate [OR=0.69, 95%CI (0.48, 0.99), P=0.04], but increased the rate of tachycardia [OR=1.99, 95%CI (1.22, 3.25), P=0.006].ConclusionAccording to the current evidence, compared with NCPAP, NIPPV and BiPAP could be used to improve the rate of successful extubation in preterm infants, HFNC could be used to decrease the risk of nose injury and pneumothorax; the optimal dose of caffeine should be chosen after evaluating the risk of adverse reactions such as tachycardia.