Newborn resuscitation timelines: Accurately capturing treatment in the delivery room.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of newborn resuscitation timelines to assess the incidence, sequence, timing, duration of and response to resuscitative interventions. METHODS: A population-based observational study conducted June 2019-November 2021 at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway. Parents consented to participation antenatally. Newborns ≥28 weeks' gestation receiving positive pressure ventilation (PPV) at birth were enrolled. Time of birth was registered. Dry-electrode electrocardiogram was applied as soon as possible after birth and used to measure heart rate continuously during resuscitation. Newborn resuscitation timelines were generated from analysis of video recordings. RESULTS: Of 7466 newborns ≥28 weeks' gestation, 289 (3.9%) received PPV. Of these, 182 had the resuscitation captured on video, and were included. Two-thirds were apnoeic, and one-third were breathing ineffectively at the commencement of PPV. PPV was started at median (quartiles) 72 (44, 141) seconds after birth and continued for 135 (68, 236) seconds. The ventilation fraction, defined as the proportion of time from first to last inflation during which PPV was provided, was 85%. Interruption in ventilation was most frequently caused by mask repositioning and auscultation. Suctioning was performed in 35% of newborns, in 95% of cases after the initiation of PPV. PPV was commenced within 60 s of birth in 49% of apnoeic and 12% of ineffectively breathing newborns, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Newborn resuscitation timelines can graphically present accurate, time-sensitive and complex data from resuscitations synchronised in time. Timelines can be used to enhance understanding of resuscitation events in data-guided quality improvement initiatives.

Prevalence of bradycardia in 4876 newborns in the first minute after birth and association with positive pressure ventilation: a population-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of bradycardia in the first minute after birth and association with positive pressure ventilation (PPV). METHOD: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2019 to December 2021 at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway. Parents consented to participation during pregnancy, and newborns ≥28 weeks' gestation were included at birth. Heart rate (HR) was captured immediately after birth and continuously for the first minute(s). Time of birth was registered on a tablet. Provision of PPV was captured using video. RESULTS: Of 4876 included newborns, 164 (3.4%) did not breathe (two-thirds) or breathed ineffectively (one-third) and received PPV at birth. HR in the first minute had a wide distribution. The prevalence of first measured HR <100 and <60 beats/minute at median 16 s was 16.3% and 0.6%, respectively. HR increased in most cases. At 60 s, 3.7% had HR <100 beats/minute, of which 82% did not require PPV. In total, 25% of newborns had some registered HR <100 beats/minute during the first minute, of which 95% did not require PPV. Among newborns who received PPV, 76% and 62% had HR ≥100 beats/minute at 60 s and at start PPV, respectively. CONCLUSION: Bradycardia with HR <100 bpm in the first minute of life was frequent, but mostly self-resolved. Among the 4% of newborns that remained bradycardic at 60 s, only 20% received PPV. Two-thirds of resuscitated newborns had HR ≥100 beats/minute at start PPV. None of the ventilated newborns were breathing adequately at start PPV. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03849781.

Virtual reality simulation training in stroke thrombectomy centers with limited patient volume-Simulator performance and patient outcome.

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality simulation training may improve the technical skills of interventional radiologists when establishing endovascular thrombectomy at limited-volume stroke centers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the technical thrombectomy performance of interventional radiologists improved after a defined virtual reality simulator training period. As part of the quality surveillance of clinical practice, we also assessed patient outcomes and thrombectomy quality indicators at the participating centers. METHODS: Interventional radiologists and radiology residents from three thrombectomy-capable stroke centers participated in a five months thrombectomy skill-training curriculum on a virtual reality simulator. The simulator automatically registered procedure time, the number of predefined steps that were correctly executed, handling errors, contrast volume, fluoroscopy time, and radiation dose exposure. The design was a before-after study. Two simulated thrombectomy cases were used as pretest and posttest cases, while seven other cases were used for training. Utilizing the Norwegian Stroke Register, we investigated clinical results in thrombectomy during the study period. RESULTS: Nineteen interventional radiologists and radiology residents participated in the study. The improvement between pretest and posttest cases was statistically significant for all outcome measures in both simulated cases, except for the contrast volume used in one case. Clinical patient outcomes in all three centers were well within the recommendations from multi-society consensus guidelines. CONCLUSION: Performance on the virtual reality simulator improved after training. Virtual reality simulation may improve the learning curve for interventional radiologists in limited-volume thrombectomy centers. No correlation alleged, the clinical data indicates that the centers studied performed thrombectomy in accordance with guideline-recommended standards.

Incomplete Exhalation during Resuscitation-Theoretical Review and Examples from Ventilation of Newborn Term Infants.

BACKGROUND: Newborn resuscitation guidelines recommend positive pressure ventilation (PPV) for newborns who do not establish effective spontaneous breathing after birth. T-piece resuscitator systems are commonly used in high-resource settings and can additionally provide positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Short expiratory time, high resistance, rapid dynamic changes in lung compliance and large tidal volumes increase the possibility of incomplete exhalation. Previous publications indicate that this may occur during newborn resuscitation. Our aim was to study examples of incomplete exhalations in term newborn resuscitation and discuss these against the theoretical background. METHODS: Examples of flow and pressure data from respiratory function monitors (RFM) were selected from 129 term newborns who received PPV using a T-piece resuscitator. RFM data were not presented to the user during resuscitation. RESULTS: Examples of incomplete exhalation with higher-than-set PEEP-levels were present in the recordings with visual correlation to factors affecting time needed to complete exhalation. CONCLUSIONS: Incomplete exhalation and the relationship to expiratory time constants have been well described theoretically. We documented examples of incomplete exhalations with increased PEEP-levels during resuscitation of term newborns. We conclude that RFM data from resuscitations can be reviewed for this purpose and that incomplete exhalations should be further explored, as the clinical benefit or risk of harm are not known.

Exploring health service preparation for the COVID-19 crisis utilizing simulation-based activities in a Norwegian hospital: a qualitative case study.

INTRODUCTION: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused stress in healthcare organizations worldwide. Hospitals and healthcare institutions had to reorganize their services to meet the demands of the crisis. In this case study, we focus on the role of simulation as part of the pandemic preparations in a large hospital in Norway. The aim of this study is to explore hospital leaders' and simulation facilitators' expectations of, and experiences of utilizing simulation-based activities in the preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is a qualitative case study utilizing semi-structured in-depth interviews with hospital leaders and simulation facilitators in one large hospital in Norway. The data were sorted under three predefined research topics and further analyzed by inductive, thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke within these pre-defined topics. RESULTS: Eleven members of the hospital leadership and simulation facilitators were included in the study. We identified four themes explaining why COVID-19 related simulation-based activities were initiated, and perceived consequences of the activities; 1) a multifaceted method like simulation fitted a multifaceted crisis, 2) a well-established culture for simulation in the hospital was crucial for scaling up simulation-based activities during the crisis, 3) potential risks were outweighed by the advantages of utilizing simulation-based activities, and finally 4) hospital leaders and simulation facilitators retrospectively assessed the use of simulation-based activities as appropriate to prepare for a pandemic crisis. CONCLUSIONS: The hospital leadership's decision to utilize simulation-based activities in preparing for the COVID-19 crisis may be explained by many factors. First, it seems that many years of experience with systematic use of simulation-based activities within the hospital can explain the trust in simulation as a valuable tool that were easy to reach. Second, both hospital leaders and simulation facilitators saw simulation as a unique tool for the optimization of the COVID-19 response due to the wide applicability of the method. According to hospital leaders and simulation facilitators, simulation-based activities revealed critical gaps in training and competence levels, treatment protocols, patient logistics, and environmental shortcomings that were acted upon, suggesting that institutional learning took place.

Nursing students' experiences with simulation-based education as a pedagogic method in low-resource settings: A mixed-method study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study introduced simulation-based education in nurse education programs in Tanzania and Madagascar and explored nursing students' experiences with this pedagogic method as a mode of learning. BACKGROUND: Simulation-based education has barely been introduced to education programs in resource-constrained settings. The study was conducted in two nurse education programs: one in rural Tanzania and the other in the mid-land of Madagascar. Both institutions offer diploma programs in nursing. Simulation-based education has not been included in the teaching methods used in these nursing programs. DESIGN: A descriptive and convergent mixed method design was employed. METHODS: Ninety-nine nursing students were included in the study. Simulation sessions followed by data collection took place once in 2017 and twice in 2018. Data were collected by means of several questionnaires and six focus groups. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) was used to report the results. RESULTS: The quantitative data revealed that the students rated all the questions related to the simulation design elements, educational practices, and students' satisfaction and self-confidence in learning with scores of above four on a 5-point Likert scale. The qualitative data from the first theme, building competence and confidence, further emphasized and outlined the quantitative results. Additionally, the qualitative data revealed a second theme, improving through encouragement and corrections. The students clearly expressed that they wanted to be aware of their weaknesses to be able to improve; however, the provision of feedback should be carried out in an encouraging way. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that the nursing students were satisfied with simulation as a pedagogic method, as it improved their competence and prepared them for professional practice. Further research is necessary to explore whether the students are able to transfer their knowledge into clinical practice. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Simulation as a pedagogic method is valuable for the learning of clinical skills and preparation for clinical practice.

Tidal volumes and pressures delivered by the NeoPuff T-piece resuscitator during resuscitation of term newborns.

AIM: T-piece resuscitators are commonly used for respiratory support during newborn resuscitation. This study aimed to describe delivered pressures and tidal volumes when resuscitating term newborns immediately after birth, using the NeoPuff T-piece resuscitator. METHOD: Observational study from June 2019 through March 2021 at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, including term newborns ventilated with a T-piece resuscitator after birth, with consent to participate. Ventilation parameters of the first 100 inflations from each newborn were recorded by respiration monitors and divided into an early (inflation 1-20) and a late (inflation 21-100) phase. RESULTS: Of the 7730 newborns born, 232 term newborns received positive pressure ventilation. Of these, 129 newborns were included. In the early and the late phase, the median (interquartile range) peak inflating pressure was 30 (28-31) and 30 (27-31) mbar, and tidal volume was 4.5 (1.6-7.8) and 5.7 (2.2-9.8) ml/kg, respectively. Increased inflation times were associated with an increase in volume before plateauing at an inflation time of 0.41 s in the early phase and 0.50 s in the late phase. Inflation rates exceeding 32 per minute in the early phase and 41 per minute in the late phase were associated with lower tidal volumes. CONCLUSION: There was a substantial variation in tidal volumes despite a relatively stable peak inflating pressure. Delivered tidal volumes were at the lower end of the recommended range. Our results indicate that an inflation time of approximately 0.5 s and rates around 30-40 per minute are associated with the highest delivered tidal volumes.

Impact of immediate and continuous heart rate feedback by dry electrode ECG on time to initiation of ventilation after birth: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: 3%-8% of newborns need positive pressure ventilation (PPV) after birth. Heart rate (HR) is considered the most sensitive indicator of the newborns' condition and response to resuscitative interventions. According to guidelines, HR should be assessed and PPV initiated within 60 s after birth in non-breathing newborns. Dry electrode ECG can provide accurate feedback on HR immediately after birth and continuously during resuscitation. The impact of early and continuous HR feedback is unknown. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This single-centre randomised controlled trial seeks to determine if HR feedback by dry electrode ECG immediately after birth and continuously during newborn resuscitation results in more timely initiation of PPV, improved ventilation and short-term outcomes compared with standard HR assessment.In all newborns≥34 gestational weeks, the dry electrode ECG sensor is placed on the upper abdomen immediately after birth as an additional modality of HR assessment. The device records and stores HR signals. In intervention subjects, the HR display is visible to guide decision-making and further management, in control subjects the display is masked. Standard HR assessment is by stethoscope, gel-electrode ECG and/or pulse oximetry (PO).Time of birth is registered in the Liveborn app. Time of initiation and duration of PPV is calculated from video recordings. Ventilation parameters are retrieved from the ventilation monitor, oxygen saturation and HR from the PO and gel-electrode ECG monitors.The primary endpoint is proportion of resuscitated newborns who receive PPV within 60 s after birth. To detect a 50% increase with power of 90% using an overall significance level of 0.05 and 1 interim analysis, 169 newborns are needed in each group. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval by the Norwegian National Research Ethics Committee West (2018/338). Parental consent is sought at routine screening early in pregnancy. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03849781.

Global surgery, obstetric, and anaesthesia indicator definitions and reporting: An Utstein consensus report.

BACKGROUND: Indicators to evaluate progress towards timely access to safe surgical, anaesthesia, and obstetric (SAO) care were proposed in 2015 by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. These aimed to capture access to surgery, surgical workforce, surgical volume, perioperative mortality rate, and catastrophic and impoverishing financial consequences of surgery. Despite being rapidly taken up by practitioners, data points from which to derive the indicators were not defined, limiting comparability across time or settings. We convened global experts to evaluate and explicitly define-for the first time-the indicators to improve comparability and support achievement of 2030 goals to improve access to safe affordable surgical and anaesthesia care globally. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The Utstein process for developing and reporting guidelines through a consensus building process was followed. In-person discussions at a 2-day meeting were followed by an iterative process conducted by email and virtual group meetings until consensus was reached. The meeting was held between June 16 to 18, 2019; discussions continued until August 2020. Participants consisted of experts in surgery, anaesthesia, and obstetric care, data science, and health indicators from high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Considering each of the 6 indicators in turn, we refined overarching descriptions and agreed upon data points needed for construction of each indicator at current time (basic data points), and as each evolves over 2 to 5 (intermediate) and >5 year (full) time frames. We removed one of the original 6 indicators (one of 2 financial risk protection indicators was eliminated) and refined descriptions and defined data points required to construct the 5 remaining indicators: geospatial access, workforce, surgical volume, perioperative mortality, and catastrophic expenditure. A strength of the process was the number of people from global institutes and multilateral agencies involved in the collection and reporting of global health metrics; a limitation was the limited number of participants from low- or middle-income countries-who only made up 21% of the total attendees. CONCLUSIONS: To track global progress towards timely access to quality SAO care, these indicators-at the basic level-should be implemented universally as soon as possible. Intermediate and full indicator sets should be achieved by all countries over time. Meanwhile, these evolutions can assist in the short term in developing national surgical plans and collecting more detailed data for research studies.

Comparison of Performance Score for Female and Male Residents in General Surgery Doing Supervised Real-Life Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Is There a Norse Shield-Maiden Effect?

BACKGROUND: Gender bias may represent a threat to resident assessment during surgical training, and there have been concerns that women might be disadvantaged. There is a lack of studies investigating gender differences in 'entry-level' real-life procedures, such as laparoscopic appendectomy. We aimed to explore potential gender disparities in self-evaluation and faculty evaluation of a basic surgical procedure performed by junior surgical residents in general surgery. METHODS: A structured training program in laparoscopic appendectomy was implemented before undertaking evaluation of real-life consecutive laparoscopic appendectomies by junior residents in general surgery. Resident and faculty gender-pairs were assessed. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated using a single-rater, consistency, 2-way mixed-effects model. RESULTS: A total of 165 paired sessions were completed to evaluate resident-faculty scores for the procedure. Overall, 19 residents participated (43% women) and 26 faculty (42% women) were involved. The overall correlation between faculty and residents was good (ICC > 0.8). The female-female pairs scored higher for most steps, achieving excellent (ICC ≥ 0.9) for several steps and for overall performance. Female residents were more likely to give a higher self-evaluated score on own performance particularly if evaluated by a female faculty. Also, female trainees had highest correlation-score with male faculty. CONCLUSIONS: This study found higher performance scores in female surgical residents evaluated during real-time laparoscopic appendectomy. No negative gender bias toward women was demonstrated. Better insight into the dynamics of gender-based interaction and dynamics in both training, feedback and influence on evaluation during training is needed when evaluating surgical training programs.

Development and clinical implementation of a structured, simulation-based training programme in laparoscopic appendectomy: description, validation and evaluation.

Background: Laparoscopic appendectomy is a common procedure in general surgery but is likely underused in structured and real-life teaching. This study describes the development, validation and evaluation of implementing a structured training programme for laparoscopic appendectomy. Study design: A structured curriculum and simulation-based programme for trainees and trainers was developed. All general surgery trainees and trainers were involved in laparoscopic appendectomies. All trainees and trainers underwent the structured preprocedure training programme before real-life surgery evaluation. A standardised form evaluated eight technical steps (skills) of the procedure as well as an overall assessment, and nine elements of communication (feedback), and was used for bilateral evaluation by each trainee and trainer. A consecutive, observational cohort over a 12-month period was used to gauge real-life implementation. Results: During 277 eligible real-life appendectomies, structured evaluation was performed in 173 (62%) laparoscopic appendectomies, for which 165 forms were completed by 19 trainees. Construct validity was found satisfactory. Inter-rater reliability demonstrated good correlation between trainee and trainer. The trainees' and trainers' stepwise and overall assessments of technical skills had an overall good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.88). The vast majority (92.2%) of the trainees either agreed or strongly agreed that the training met their expectations. Conclusion: Structured training for general surgery residents can be implemented for laparoscopic appendectomy. Skills assessment by trainees and trainers indicated reliable self-assessment. Overall, the trainees were satisfied with the training, including the feedback from the trainers.

Changes in heart rate from 5 s to 5 min after birth in vaginally delivered term newborns with delayed cord clamping.

OBJECTIVE: To determine heart rate centiles during the first 5 min after birth in healthy term newborns delivered vaginally with delayed cord clamping. DESIGN: Single-centre prospective observational study. SETTING: Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, March-August 2019. PATIENTS: Term newborns delivered vaginally were eligible for inclusion. Newborns delivered by vacuum or forceps or who received any medical intervention were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: A novel dry electrode electrocardiography monitor (NeoBeat) was applied to the newborn's chest immediately after birth. The newborns were placed on their mother's chest or abdomen, dried and stimulated, and cord clamping was delayed for at least 1 min. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Heart rate was recorded at 1 s intervals, and the 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th centiles were calculated from 5 s to 5 min after birth. RESULTS: 898 newborns with a mean (SD) birth weight 3594 (478) g and gestational age 40 (1) weeks were included. The heart rate increased rapidly from median (IQR) 122 (98-146) to 168 (146-185) beats per minute (bpm) during the first 30 s after birth, peaking at 175 (157-189) bpm at 61 s after birth, and thereafter slowly decreasing. The third centile reached 100 bpm at 34 s, suggesting that heart rates <100 bpm during the first minutes after birth are uncommon in healthy newborns after delayed cord clamping. CONCLUSION: This report presents normal heart rate centiles from 5 s to 5 min after birth in healthy term newborns delivered vaginally with delayed cord clamping.

Increased perinatal survival and improved ventilation skills over a five-year period: An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The Helping Babies Breathe program gave major reductions in perinatal mortality in Tanzania from 2009 to 2012. We aimed to study whether this effect was sustained, and whether resuscitation skills changed with continued frequent training. METHODS: We analysed prospective data covering all births (n = 19,571) at Haydom Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania from July 2013 -June 2018. Resuscitation training was continued during this period. All deliveries were monitored by an observer recording the timing of events and resuscitation interventions. Heart rate was recorded by dry-electrode ECG and bag-mask-ventilation by sensors attached to the resuscitator device. We analyzed changes over time in outcomes, use of resuscitation interventions and performance of resuscitation using binary regression models with the log-link function to obtain adjusted relative risks. RESULTS: With introduction of user fees for deliveries since 2014, the number of deliveries decreased by 30% from start to the end of the five-year period. An increase in low heart rate at birth and need for bag-mask-ventilation indicate a gradual selection of more vulnerable newborns delivered in the hospital over time. Despite this selection, newborn deaths <24 hours did not change significantly and was maintained at an average of 8.8/1000 live births. The annual reductions in relative risk for perinatal death adjusted for vulnerability factors was 0.84 (95%CI 0.76-0.94). During the five-year period, longer duration of bag-mask ventilation sequences without interruption was observed. Delivered tidal volumes were increased and mask leak was decreased during ventilation. The time to initiation or total duration of ventilation did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: The reduction in 24-hour newborn mortality after introduction of Helping Babies Breathe was maintained, and a further decrease over the five-year period was evident when analyses were adjusted for vulnerability of the newborns. Perinatal survival and performance of ventilation were significantly improved.

Delivery of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure Using Self-Inflating Bags during Newborn Resuscitation Is Possible Despite Mask Leak.

BACKGROUND: Ventilation is the key intervention to resuscitate non-breathing newborns. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may facilitate lung-liquid clearance and help establish functional residual capacity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe how mask leak and ventilation rates affect delivered PEEP and tidal volumes during newborn resuscitations using a self-inflating bag with an integrated PEEP valve. METHODS: This was an observational study including near-term/term newborns who received bag-mask ventilation (BMV) with a new self-inflating bag with a novel 6 mbar PEEP valve, without external gas flow, between October 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018 in rural Tanzania. Helping Babies Breathe-trained midwives performed most of the resuscitations. Pressures and flow were continuously measured and recorded by resuscitation monitors. RESULTS: In total, 198 newborns with a median gestation of 39 weeks (25th, 75th percentiles 37, 40) and birth weight of 3,100 g (2,580, 3,500) were included. The median delivered PEEP and expired (tidal) volume at different levels of mask leak were 6.0 mbar and 11.3 mL/kg at 0-20% mask leak, 5.5 mbar and 9.3 mL/kg at 20-40%, 5.2 mbar and 7.8 mL/kg at 40-60%, 4.6 mbar and 5.0 mL/kg at 60-80%, and 1.0 mbar and 0.6 mL/kg at 80-100% mask leak. A high ventilation rate (>60/min) nearly halved expired volumes compared to <60/min for 0-60% leak. The BMV rate had a negligible effect on peak inflation pressure (PIP) and PEEP. CONCLUSIONS: Mask leak up to 80% did not impair the provision of recommended PEEP or tidal volumes during BMV with a self-inflating bag. High or low ventilation rates did not significantly affect PIP or PEEP. Expired volumes were reduced at ventilation rates >60/min.

Compliance with Guidelines and Efficacy of Heart Rate Monitoring during Newborn Resuscitation: A Prospective Video Study.

OBJECTIVE: Newborn resuscitation guidelines recommend initial assessment of heart rate (HR) and initiation of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) within 60 s after birth in non-breathing newborns. Pulse oximeter (PO) and electrocardiogram (ECG) are suggested methods for continuous HR monitoring during resuscitation. Our aim was to evaluate compliance with guidelines and the efficacy of PO versus ECG monitoring in real-life newborn resuscitations. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, we video recorded resuscitations of newborns ≥34 weeks of gestation receiving PPV at birth. RESULTS: 104 resuscitations were analysed. Median (IQR) time from birth to arrival at the resuscitation bay was 48 (22-68) s (n = 62), to initial HR assessment 70 (47-118) s (n = 61), and to initiation of PPV 78 (42-118) s (n = 62). Initial HR assessment (stethoscope or palpation) and initiation of PPV were achieved within 60 s for 35% of the resuscitated newborns. Time to initial HR assessment and initiating PPV was significantly longer following vaginal deliveries than caesarean sections: 84 (70-139) versus 44 (30-66) s (p < 0.001) and 93 (73-139) versus 38 (30-66) s (p < 0.001). Time from birth and sensor application to provision of a reliable HR signal from PO versus ECG was 348 (217-524) (n = 42) versus 174 (105-277) s (n = 30) (p < 0.001) and 199 (77-352) (n = 65) versus 16 (11-22) s (n = 52) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Initial HR assessment and initiation of PPV were achieved within 60 s after birth in only 1/3 of newborn resuscitations. When applied for continuous HR monitoring, ECG was superior to PO in time to achieve reliable HR signals in real-life resuscitations.

Predictors for expired CO2 in neonatal bag-mask ventilation at birth: observational study.

BACKGROUND: Expired carbon dioxide (ECO2) indicates degree of lung aeration immediately after birth. Favourable ventilation techniques may be associated with higher ECO2 and a faster increase. Clinical condition will however also affect measured values. The aim of this study was to explore the relative impact of ventilation factors and clinical factors on ECO2 during bag-mask ventilation of near-term newborns. METHODS: Observational study performed in a Tanzanian rural hospital. Side-stream measures of ECO2, ventilation data, heart rate and clinical information were recorded in 434 bag-mask ventilated newborns with initial heart rate <120 beats per minute. We studied ECO2 by clinical factors (birth weight, Apgar scores and initial heart rate) and ventilation factors (expired tidal volume, ventilation frequency, mask leak and inflation pressure) in random intercept models and Cox regression for time to ECO2 >2%. RESULTS: ECO2 rose non-linearly with increasing expired tidal volume up to >10 mL/kg, and sufficient tidal volume was critical for the time to reach ECO2 >2%. Ventilation frequency around 30/min was associated with the highest ECO2. Higher birth weight, Apgar scores and initial heart rate were weak, but significant predictors for higher ECO2. Ventilation factors explained 31% of the variation in ECO2 compared with 11% for clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that higher tidal volumes than currently recommended and a low ventilation frequency around 30/min are associated with improved lung aeration during newborn resuscitation. Low ECO2 may be used to identify unfavourable ventilation technique. Clinical factors are also associated with persistently low ECO2 and must be accounted for in the interpretation.

Frequent refresher training on newborn resuscitation and potential impact on perinatal outcome over time in a rural Tanzanian hospital: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Globally, perinatal mortality remains high, especially in sub-Saharan countries, mainly because of inadequate obstetric and newborn care. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) resuscitation training as part of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) programme may improve outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe observed changes in perinatal survival during a 6-year period, while adjusting for relevant perinatal risk factors. SETTING: Delivery rooms and operating theatre in a rural referral hospital in northern-central Tanzania providing comprehensive obstetric and basic newborn care 24 hours a day. The hospital serves approximately 2 million people comprising low social-economic status. PARTICIPANTS: All newborns (n=31 122) born in the hospital from February 2010 through January 2017; 4893 were born in the 1-year baseline period (February 2010 through January 2011), 26 229 in the following CQI period. INTERVENTIONS: The HBB CQI project, including frequent HBB training, was implemented from February 2011. This is a quality assessment analysis of prospectively collected observational data including patient, process and outcome measures of every delivery. Logistic regression modelling was used to construct risk-adjusted variable life adjusted display (VLAD) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) plots to monitor changes in perinatal survival (primary outcome). RESULTS: During the 6-year CQI period, the unadjusted number of extra lives saved according to the VLAD plot was 150 despite more women admitted with pregnancy and labour complications and more caesarean deliveries. After adjusting for these risk factors, the risk-adjusted VLAD plot indicated that an estimated 250 extra lives were saved. The risk-adjusted CUSUM plot confirmed a persistent and steady increase in perinatal survival. CONCLUSIONS: The risk-adjusted statistical process control methods indicate significant improvement in perinatal survival after initiation of the HBB CQI project with continuous focus on newborn resuscitation training during the period, despite a concomitant increase in high-risk deliveries. Risk-adjusted VLAD and CUSUM are useful methods to quantify, illustrate and demonstrate persistent changes in outcome over time.

Incidence of newborn resuscitative interventions at birth and short-term outcomes: a regional population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and characteristics of resuscitative interventions at different gestational ages and short-term outcomes after resuscitation. DESIGN SETTING AND PATIENTS: A prospective observational study in an unselected population at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, from October 2016 until September 2017. INTERVENTIONS: Using a data collection form and video recordings, we registered and analysed resuscitative interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), positive pressure ventilation (PPV), intubation, chest compressions and intravenous fluid or epinephrine boluses. Short-term outcomes of resuscitated newborns. RESULTS: All 4693 newborns in the study period were included in the study. Two hundred and ninety-one (6.2%) newborns received interventions in the first minutes of life beyond drying and stimulation. PPV was provided in 170 (3.6%) while CPAP (without PPV) was provided in 121 (2.6%) newborns. Duration of PPV was median (IQR) 106 s (54-221). Intubations were performed in 19 (0.4%) newborns, with a mean (SD) intubation time of 47 (21) s. Ten (0.2%) newborns received chest compressions and epinephrine was administrated in three (0.1%) newborns. Sixty-three per cent of the treated newborns from 34 weeks' gestational age were returned to parental care without further follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The need for resuscitative interventions after birth was frequent in this unselected population in a high-resource setting, but full cardiopulmonary resuscitation was rare. Short-term outcomes were good, suggesting that most newborns treated with resuscitative interventions were not severely affected.

Midwives' perceptions on using a fetoscope and Doppler for fetal heart rate assessments during labor: a qualitative study in rural Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: The Doppler is thought to be more comfortable and effective compared to the fetoscope for assessing the fetal heart rate (FHR) during labor. However, in a rural Tanzanian hospital, midwives who had easy access to both devices mostly used fetoscope. This study explored midwives' perception of factors influencing their preference for using either a Pinard fetoscope or a FreePlay wind-up Doppler for intermittent FHR monitoring. METHODS: Midwives who had worked for at least 6 months in the labor ward were recruited. Focus group discussion (FGD) was used to collect data. Five FGDs were conducted between December 2015 and February 2016. Qualitative content analysis was employed using NVivo 11.0. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged as factors perceived by midwives as influencing their preference; 1) Sufficient training and experience with using a device; Midwives had been using fetoscopes since their midwifery training, and they had vast experience using it. The Doppler was recently introduced in the maternity ward, and midwives had insufficient training in how to use it. 2) Ability of the device to produce reliable measurements; Using a fetoscope, one must listen for the heartbeat, count using a watch, and calculate, the Doppler provides both a display and sound of the FHR. Fetoscope measurements are prone to human errors, and Doppler measurements are prone to instrumental errors. 3) Convenience of use and comfort of a device; Fetoscopes do not need charging, and while it is possible to "personalize/hide" the measurements, and may be painful for mothers. Dopplers need charging and do not cause pain, but provide limited privacy. CONCLUSION: Midwives' preferences of FHR monitoring devices are influenced by the level of device training, experience with using a device, reliable measurements, and convenience and comfort during use. Fetoscopes and Dopplers should be equally available during midwifery training and in clinical practice.