Counting unplanned extubations: marked variation among neonatologists.

OBJECTIVE: To assess if neonatologists detect and count unplanned extubations (UEs) uniformly. STUDY DESIGN: An Institutional Review Board-exempted anonymous web-based survey of neonatology attending and fellow members of the AAP Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine section was administered. Respondents were queried on practices concerning UE; they were then presented with different case scenarios and asked if they would count the event as a UE. RESULTS: Of the 509 respondents, 61% track UE rates. Of those who track UE rates, 53% reported rates of 1-3 per 100 ventilator days. The top two factors perceived as causing UEs were endotracheal tube (ETT) dislodgement by patient (65%) and failure of ETT holding system at attachment to the face (56%). In the various scenarios where ETT was urgently removed by staff, only 19 to 62% of respondents counted the event as a UE, including 23% if the ETT was removed by the attending. There was consensus on the scenarios representing self-extubation and elective change of the ETT. CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation in methods for detecting and counting UE events among neonatologists, which precludes comparison of UE rates across institutions. We speculate that a standardized definition and classification of events will enable benchmarking among neonatal intensive care units, which should accelerate collaborative improvement efforts towards reducing UEs in neonates.

Randomized trial of laryngeal mask airway versus endotracheal intubation for surfactant delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of surfactant delivery via endotracheal tube (ETT) using an intubation-surfactant-rapid extubation approach with premedication) vs laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in preventing the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm neonates with moderate respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). STUDY DESIGN: Moderately preterm infants diagnosed with RDS, receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure with FiO2 0.30 to 0.60, were randomized to two groups at age 3 to 48 h. Those in the ETT group were intubated following premedication with atropine and morphine, whereas the LMA group received only atropine. Both groups received calfactant before a planned reinstitution of nasal continuous positive airway pressure, and had equivalent pre-specified criteria for subsequent mechanical ventilation and surfactant retreatment. The primary outcome was failure of surfactant treatment strategy to avoid mechanical ventilation; we differentiated early from late failures to assess the contribution of potential mechanisms such as respiratory depression versus less-effective surfactant delivery. Secondary outcomes addressed efficacy and safety end points. RESULT: Sixty-one patients were randomized, one excluded and 30 analyzed in each group, with similar baseline characteristics. Failure rate was 77% in the ETT group and 30% in the LMA group (P<0.001). The difference was related to early failure, as late failure rates did not differ between groups. FiO2 decrease after surfactant and rates of adverse events were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: Surfactant therapy through an LMA decreases the proportion of newborns with moderate RDS who require mechanical ventilation, when compared with a standard endotracheal intubation procedure with sedation. The efficacy of surfactant in decreasing RDS severity appears similar with both methods. Morphine premedication likely contributed to early post-surfactant failures.

The concordance of ultrasound technique versus X-ray to confirm endotracheal tube position in neonates.

OBJECTIVE: Given the distressingly high incidence of ETT malposition in the neonatal population, patients are exposed to ionizing radiation to confirm endotracheal tube (ETT) position. Our objective is to determine if ultrasound technique is concordant with X-ray in determining whether an ETT is deeply positioned or not. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational clinical trial. After obtaining informed consent, patients with an ETT who required X-ray for clinical reasons underwent sonographic evaluation of the ETT by an ultrasound technologist or pediatric radiologist, usually within the hour. RESULTS: A total of 56 image pairs were obtained from 29 patients. Ninety-eight percent of the ultrasound/X-ray image pairs were suitable for analysis. The concordance of ultrasound with X-ray to identify deeply and not deeply positioned ETTs was 95% (53/56). The sensitivity of ultrasound to detect deeply positioned ETTs on X-ray was 86% (6/7). The specificity of ultrasound to detect ETTs that were not deeply positioned on X-ray was 96% (47/49). CONCLUSIONS: As the largest clinical trial of its kind to date, with the greatest number of ultrasound operators, we have further established US as a feasible imaging modality to determine whether an ETT is deeply positioned or not.

The Apgar cycle: a new view of a familiar scoring system.

Apgar scores are universally recorded, but they should no longer be used to guide resuscitation; thus, some authorities have suggested that the scores should be abandoned. However, the physiological relationships underlying the elements of the Apgar scoring system can be conceptualised as a cycle, wherein the five functions are linked by cardiorespiratory reflexes and metabolically supported by the oxygen pathway. Respiratory effort represents both the main input into the system and its functional output (sustained respirations). The progressive deterioration of functions during asphyxia, and their recovery during resuscitation, are readily understood within the sequence. This depiction helps in learning concepts such as primary and secondary apnoea and bradycardia. The visual model harmonises the pedagogical and practical values of the Apgar scoring system, by placing the rapid assessment of respirations, heart rate and colour during neonatal resuscitation (as taught in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program) in its broader physiological context. The understanding imparted by the Apgar cycle may directly enhance patient care during resuscitation, apart from the attribution of numerical scores.