Objective To verify whether the use of the T-piece resuscitator compared with the self-inflating bag in preterm infants ventilated at birth modifies survival to hospital discharge without major morbidities. Design Pragmatic prospective cohort study. Setting 20 Brazilian university hospitals of Brazilian Network on Neonatal Research. Patients were 1962 inborn infants in 2014-2015 ventilated at birth with 23-33' weeks gestation and birth weight 400-1499 g without malformations. Patients transferred until the 27th day after birth were excluded. Interventions Positive pressure ventilation at birth with T-piece resuscitator or self-inflating bag without positive end expiratory pressure valve. Intervention with ventilation followed the Brazilian ...