What's in a Name? Enhancing Communication in the Operating Room with the Use of Names and Roles on Surgical Caps.

OBJECTIVE: A pilot study was conducted in a tertiary referral center to assess whether wearing caps labeled with providers' names and roles has an impact on communication in the operating room (OR). METHODS: Two obstetricians observed surgeries for name uses and missed communications. Following each case, all providers were given a short survey that queried their attitude about the use of labeled surgical caps, their ability to know the names and roles of other providers during a case, and the impact of scrub attire on identifying others. They were also asked to rate the ease of communication and their ability to recall name and roles of the personnel specific to the case. Patients were asked how they perceived the use of labeled caps by providers. RESULTS: Twenty scheduled cesarean deliveries were randomized to either labeled (10) or nonlabeled (10) surgical caps. A total of 129 providers participated in the study, with 117 providing responses to the survey. Providers reported knowing the names and roles of colleagues more often with labeled caps vs. nonlabeled caps (names: 77.8% vs. 55.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 64.4%-88.0% vs. 41.6%-67.9%, p = 0.011; roles: 92.5% vs. 78.3%, 95% CI = 81.8%-98.0% vs. 65.8%-88.0%, p = 0.036). Name uses increased (43 vs. 34, p = 0.208), and missed communications decreased (16 vs. 20, p = 0.614) when labeled caps were worn. Providers and patients had an overwhelmingly positive response to labeled caps. CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrated that wearing labeled caps in the OR led to more frequent name uses and less frequent missed communications. Providers and patients embraced the concept of labeled caps and perceived wearing labeled caps as improving communication in the OR.

The impact of an intervention package promoting effective neonatal resuscitation training in rural China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an intervention package promoting effective neonatal resuscitation training at county level hospitals across China. METHODS: The intervention package was implemented across 4 counties and included expert seminars, training workshops, establishment of hospital-based resuscitation teams, and supervision of training by national and provincial instructors. Upon completing the activities, a survey was conducted in all county hospitals in the 4 intervention counties and 4 randomly selected control counties. Data on healthcare providers' knowledge and self-confidence, and incidence of deaths from birth asphyxia from 2009 to 2011 in all hospitals were collected and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Eleven intervention and eleven control hospitals participated in the evaluation, with 97 and 87 health providers, respectively, completing the questionnaire survey. Over 90% of intervention hospitals had implemented neonatal resuscitation related practice protocols, while in control hospitals the proportion was less than 55%. The average knowledge scores of health providers in the intervention and control counties taking a written exam were 9.2±1.2 and 8.4±1.5, respectively (P<0.001) out of maximum possible score of 10, and the average self-confidence scores were 57.3±2.5 and 54.1±8.2, respectively (P<0.001). Incidence of birth asphyxia (defined as 1-min Apgar score≤7) decreased from 8.8% to 6.0% (P<0.001) in the intervention counties, and asphyxia-related deaths in the delivery room decreased from 27.6 to 5.0 per 100,000 (P=0.076). There was no difference over time in asphyxia rates for the control counties. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention has not only improved skills of health providers, decreased the mortality and morbidity of birth asphyxia, but also resulted in effective implementation of guidelines and protocols within hospitals.

Perspectives on promoting breastmilk feedings for premature infants during a quality improvement project.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated clinicians' perspectives during a quality improvement project to promote breastmilk feedings in premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: From 2009 to 2010, 11 hospitals in the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative participated in a project to promote breastmilk feedings in premature infants. Audio recordings of monthly meetings held to encourage sharing of ideas were analyzed using qualitative methods to identify common themes related to barriers and solutions to breastmilk feeding promotion. RESULTS: Two broad categories were noted: communication and team composition. Communication subthemes included (1) communication among hospital staff, including consistent documentation, (2) communication with family, and (3) communication between transfer hospitals. Team composition subthemes included (4) importance of physician buy-in and (5) integrated teams designed to empower leaders. CONCLUSIONS: Optimizing communication among health professionals and parents and improving team composition may be key components of facilitating breastmilk feeding promotion in premature infants.

Intestinal malrotation and catastrophic volvulus in infancy.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal malrotation in the newborn is usually diagnosed after signs of intestinal obstruction, such as bilious emesis, and corrected with the Ladd procedure. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this report is to describe the presentation of severe cases of midgut volvulus presenting in infancy, and to discuss the characteristics of these cases. CASE REPORT: We performed a 7-year review at our institution and present two cases of catastrophic midgut volvulus presenting in the post-neonatal period, ending in death soon after the onset of symptoms. These two patients also had significant laboratory abnormalities compared to patients with more typical presentations resulting in favorable outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Although most cases of intestinal malrotation in infancy can be treated successfully, in some circumstances, patients' symptoms may not be detected early enough for effective treatment, and therefore may result in catastrophic midgut volvulus and death.

Clinician perspectives on barriers to and opportunities for skin-to-skin contact for premature infants in neonatal intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate key factors in promoting skin-to-skin contact (STSC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: As part of a California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative on improving nutrition and promoting breastmilk feeding of premature infants, a multidisciplinary group of representatives from 11 hospitals discussed the progress and barriers in pursuing the project. A key component of the collaborative project was promotion of STSC. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and assessed using qualitative research methods with the aid of Atlas Ti software (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany). Two primary investigators studied the transcripts for themes related to STSC. Using an iterative approach, selected themes were explored, and representative quotes were selected. RESULTS: Barriers to promoting STSC fell into broad themes of implementation, institutional, and familial factors. The main challenge identified in implementation was defining a clinically stable eligible population of patients. Key institutional factors were education and motivation of staff. Familial factors involved facilitation and sustained motivation of mothers. In response to these barriers, opportunities for promoting STSC were enacted or suggested by the group, including defining clinical stability for eligibility, facilitating documentation, strategies to increase parent and staff education and motivation, and encouraging maternal visitation and comfort. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may be useful for institutions seeking to develop policies and strategies to increase STSC and breastmilk feeding in their NICUs.

Prediction of death for extremely premature infants in a population-based cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Although gestational age (GA) is often used as the primary basis for counseling and decision-making for extremely premature infants, a study of tertiary care centers showed that additional factors could improve prediction of outcomes. Our objective was to determine how such a model could improve predictions for a population-based cohort. METHODS: From 2005 to 2008, data were collected prospectively for the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, which encompasses 90% of NICUs in California. For infants born at GAs of 22 to 25 weeks, we assessed the ability of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 5-factor model to predict survival rates, compared with a model using GA alone. RESULTS: In the study cohort of 4527 infants, 3647 received intensive care. Survival rates were 53% for the whole cohort and 66% for infants who received intensive care. In multivariate analyses of data for infants who received intensive care, prenatal steroid exposure, female sex, singleton birth, and higher birth weight (per 100-g increment) were each associated with a reduction in the risk of death before discharge similar to that for a 1-week increase in GA. The multivariate model increased the ability to group infants in the highest and lowest risk categories (mortality rates of >80% and <20%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In a population-based cohort, the addition of prenatal steroid exposure, sex, singleton or multiple birth, and birth weight to GA allowed for improved prediction of rates of survival to discharge for extremely premature infants.

Low Apgar score and mortality in extremely preterm neonates born in the United States.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between low Apgar score and neonatal mortality in preterm neonates. METHODS: Infant birth and death certificate data from the US National Center for Health Statistics for 2001-2002 were analysed. Primary outcome was 28-day mortality for 690, 933 neonates at gestational ages 24-36 weeks. Mortality rates were calculated for each combination of gestational age and 5-min Apgar score. Relative risks of mortality, by high vs. low Apgar score, were calculated for each age. RESULTS: Distribution of Apgar scores depended on gestational age, the youngest gestational ages having higher proportions of low Apgar scores. Median Apgar score ranged from 6 at 24 weeks, to 9 at 30-36 weeks gestation. The relative risk of death was significantly higher at Apgar scores 0-3 vs. 7-10, including at the youngest gestational ages, ranging from 3.1 (95% confidence interval 2.9, 3.4) at 24 weeks to 18.5 (95% confidence interval 15.7, 21.8) at 28 weeks. CONCLUSION: Low Apgar score was associated with increased mortality in premature neonates, including those at 24-28 weeks gestational age, and may be a useful tool for clinicians in assessing prognosis and for researchers as a risk prediction variable.

Morbidity risk at birth for Asian Indian small for gestational age infants.

Whether the traditional definition of small for gestational age (SGA) is an appropriate marker of risk for populations that have relatively lower birthweight is unclear. We determined proportions of White and Asian Indian SGA infants and those admitted to the special care nursery. Compared with White infants, Asian Indian infants were more likely to be SGA (14.5% versus 2.7%) and more likely to be admitted to the special care nursery (20.7% versus 3.7%), suggesting that traditional definitions of SGA may be applicable as a marker of risk.

A national survey of pediatric residents and delivery room training experience.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate current delivery room training experience in US pediatric residency programs and the relationship between volume of delivery room training and confidence in neonatal resuscitation skills. STUDY DESIGN: Links to a web-based survey were sent to pediatric residency programs and distributed to residents. The survey concerned delivery room attendance during training and comfort level in leading neonatal resuscitation for various scenarios. Comfort level was rated on a 1 to 9 scale. Mixed models accounted for residency programs as random effects. RESULTS: For PL-3s, the mean number of deliveries attended was 60 (standard deviation, 43), ranging from 13 to 143 deliveries for individual residency programs. Residents' confidence level in leading neonatal resuscitation was higher when attending more deliveries, with 90.3% of those attending>48 deliveries having average score 5 or greater vs 51.5% of those attending<21 deliveries. Higher attendance also correlated with confidence in endotracheal intubation and umbilical line placement. CONCLUSIONS: Wide variability existed within and among residency programs in number of deliveries attended. Volume of experience correlated with confidence in leading neonatal resuscitation and related procedural skills.

Factors influencing breast milk versus formula feeding at discharge for very low birth weight infants in California.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate incidence and factors influencing breast milk feeding at discharge for very low birth weight infants (VLBW) in a population-based cohort. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative to calculate incidence of breast milk feeding at hospital discharge for 6790 VLBW infants born in 2005-2006. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine which sociodemographic and medical factors were associated with breast milk feeding. The impact of removing risk adjustment for race was examined. RESULTS: At initial hospital discharge, 61.1% of VLBW infants were fed breast milk or breast milk supplemented with formula. Breast milk feeding was more common with higher birth weight and gestational age. After risk adjustment, multiple birth was associated with higher breast milk feeding. Factors associated with exclusive formula feeding were Hispanic ethnicity, African American race, and no prenatal care. Hospital risk-adjusted rates of breast milk feeding varied widely (range 19.7% to 100%) and differed when race was removed from adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial number of VLBW infants were not fed breast milk at discharge. Specific groups may benefit from targeted interventions to promote breast milk feeding. There may be benefit to reporting risk-adjusted rates both including and excluding race in adjustment when considering quality improvement initiatives.

Changes in attendance at deliveries by pediatric residents 2000 to 2005.

We sought to determine if pediatric resident attendance at deliveries for newborn assessment and resuscitation had changed over the years at a training hospital. Data were abstracted from medical records of newborns discharged during the same 6-week periods for 5 consecutive academic years spanning a period before and after resident duty hour regulation changes were implemented. Names of personnel attending deliveries were noted in delivery records. The proportions of deliveries attended by any practitioner were compared by year, as well as the proportion of deliveries attended by practitioner type and training level. A total of 2666 delivery records were reviewed. The proportions of deliveries attended by any practitioner over the 5 years were similar, ranging from 43 to 49%. The proportion of deliveries attended by pediatric residents was highest at 51 to 57% from 2000 to 2002, declined to a low of 5% during 2002 to 2003, and rose to 20 to 23% during 2003 to 2005 ( P < 0.0001). The decrease in attendance by residents was compensated by an increase in attendance by hospitalists. At this training institution, pediatric resident attendance at deliveries declined substantially over recent years, likely due in part to resident duty hour regulations and increased use of hospitalists in roles previously held by residents.

Population trends in cesarean delivery for breech presentation in the United States, 1997-2003.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine whether cesarean delivery for breech has increased in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: We calculated cesarean rates for term singletons in breech/malpresentation from 1997 to 2003 using National Center for Health Statistics data. We compared rates by sociodemographic groups and state. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to see whether factors associated with cesarean delivery differed over time. RESULTS: Breech cesarean rates increased overall from 83.8% to 85.1%. There was a significant increase in rates for most sociodemographic groups. There was little to no increase for mothers younger than 30 years old. There was wide variability in rates by state, 61.6-94.2% in 1997. Higher breech incidence correlated with lower cesarean rates, suggesting potential state bias in reporting breech. CONCLUSION: In the United States, breech infants are predominantly born by cesarean. There was a small increase in this trend from 1998 to 2002. There is wide variability by state, which is not explained by sociodemographic patterns and may be due to reporting differences.

Oropharyngeal atresia in a preterm infant: a case report and review of the literature.

Oropharyngeal atresia is a rare and often fatal condition that presents soon after birth with severe respiratory distress. We present a case of a premature infant who initially was suspected to have tracheo-esophageal atresia due to prenatal ultrasound findings of polyhydramnios and absent stomach bubble, but was found instead to have oropharyngeal atresia and a complete persistent buccopharyngeal membrane. This case is the first described in which the patient was successfully intubated through a small slit in the persistent membrane.

Survival rates and mode of delivery for vertex preterm neonates according to small- or appropriate-for-gestational-age status.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to characterize the relationship between cesarean section delivery and death for preterm vertex neonates according to intrauterine growth. METHODS: Maternal and infant data from the National Center for Health Statistics for 1999 and 2000 were analyzed. Neonates with gestational ages of 26 to 36 weeks were characterized as small for gestational age (<10th percentile) or appropriate for gestational age (10th to 90th percentile). Mortality rates at 28 days and relative risks were calculated for each gestational age group according to mode of delivery. RESULTS: Cesarean section rates were higher for small-for-gestational-age neonates compared with appropriate-for-gestational-age neonates, most prominently from 26 weeks to 32 weeks of gestation, at which small-for-gestational-age neonates had cesarean section rates of 50% to 67%, whereas appropriate-for-gestational-age neonates had rates of 22% to 38%. Small-for-gestational-age neonates at gestational ages of <31 weeks had increased survival rates associated with cesarean section, whereas small-for-gestational-age neonates at >33 weeks and appropriate-for-gestational-age neonates overall had decreased survival rates associated with cesarean section. After adjustment for sociodemographic and medical factors, the survival advantage for small-for-gestational-age neonates at gestational ages of 26 to 30 weeks persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Cesarean section delivery was associated with survival for preterm small-for-gestational-age neonates but not preterm appropriate-for-gestational-age neonates. We speculate that vaginal delivery may be particularly stressful for small-for-gestational-age neonates. We found no evidence that prematurity alone is a valid indication for cesarean section for preterm appropriate-for-gestational-age neonates.

Survival advantage associated with cesarean delivery in very low birth weight vertex neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the indications for and any survival advantage associated with very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates delivered by cesarean. METHODS: Maternal and infant data from the National Center for Health Statistics linked birth/death data set for 1999 to 2000 were analyzed. Maternal conditions associated with cesarean delivery were compared among birth weight groups for vertex neonates. Birth weight-specific 28-day mortality rates and relative risks were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to adjust for other factors that may be associated with survival. RESULTS: Cesarean delivery occurred frequently, more than 40% in most VLBW birth weight groups. Conditions associated with cesarean delivery in VLBW vertex neonates differed from those seen in non-VLBW vertex neonates. A survival advantage was associated with cesarean delivery in the birth weight analysis up to 1,300 g (P < .05). This decreased mortality for VLBW neonates delivered by cesarean persisted after adjusting for other factors associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: Very low birth weight vertex neonates are often born by cesarean delivery and have different maternal risk profiles from non-VLBW vertex neonates born by this route. Neonatal mortality was decreased in VLBW neonates delivered by cesarean. Further study is warranted to determine whether this may be a causal relationship or a marker of quality of care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2.