Feasibility and usability of a very low-cost bubble continuous positive airway pressure device including oxygen blenders in a Ugandan level two newborn unit.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth and resulting respiratory failure is a leading cause of newborn death- the majority of which occur in resource-constrained settings and could be prevented with bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP). Commercialized devices are expensive, however, and sites commonly use improvised devices utilizing 100% oxygen which can cause blindness. To address this, PATH and a multidisciplinary team developed a very low-cost bCPAP device including fixed-ratio oxygen blenders. OBJECTIVE: We assessed feasibility of use of the device on neonatal patients as well as the usability and acceptability of the device by healthcare workers. This study did not evaluate device effectiveness. METHODS: The study took place in a Ugandan level two unit. Neonates with respiratory failure were treated with the bCPAP device. Prospective data were collected through observation as well as likert-style scales and interviews with healthcare workers. Data were analyzed using frequencies, means and standard deviation and interviews via a descriptive coding method. Retrospectively registered via ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT05462509. RESULTS: Fourteen neonates were treated with the bCPAP device in October-December 2021. Patients were born onsite (57%), with median weight of 1.3 kg (IQR 1-1.8). Median treatment length was 2.5 days (IQR 2-6). bCPAP was stopped due to: improvement (83%) and death (17%). All patients experienced episodes of saturations >95%. Median time for device set up: 15 minutes (IQR 12-18) and changing the blender: 15 seconds (IQR 12-27). After initial device use, 9 out of 9 nurses report the set-up as well as blender use was "easy" and their overall satisfaction with the device was 8.5/10 (IQR 6.5-9.5). Interview themes included the appreciation for the ability to administer less than 100% oxygen, desire to continue use of the device, and a desire for additional blenders. CONCLUSIONS: In facilities otherwise using 100% oxygen, use of the bCPAP device including oxygen blenders is feasible and acceptable to healthcare workers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT05462509.

In vivo estimates of the position of advanced bionics electrode arrays in the human cochlea.

OBJECTIVES: A new technique for determining the position of each electrode in the cochlea is described and applied to spiral computed tomography data from 15 patients implanted with Advanced Bionics HiFocus I, Ij, or Helix arrays. METHODS: ANALYZE imaging software was used to register 3-dimensional image volumes from patients' preoperative and postoperative scans and from a single body donor whose unimplanted ears were scanned clinically, with micro computed tomography and with orthogonal-plane fluorescence optical sectioning (OPFOS) microscopy. By use of this registration, we compared the atlas of OPFOS images of soft tissue within the body donor's cochlea with the bone and fluid/ tissue boundary available in patient scan data to choose the midmodiolar axis position and judge the electrode position in the scala tympani or scala vestibuli, including the distance to the medial and lateral scalar walls. The angular rotation 0 degrees start point is a line joining the midmodiolar axis and the middle of the cochlear canal entry from the vestibule. RESULTS: The group mean array insertion depth was 477 degrees (range, 286 degrees to 655 degrees). The word scores were negatively correlated (r = -0.59; p = .028) with the number of electrodes in the scala vestibuli. CONCLUSIONS: Although the individual variability in all measures was large, repeated patterns of suboptimal electrode placement were observed across subjects, underscoring the applicability of this technique.

Performance and Acceptability of Two Self-Inflating Bag-Mask Neonatal Resuscitator Designs.

BACKGROUND: A self-inflating bag-mask device is specified by international policy guidelines as standard prototype of care for newborn resuscitation. Our hypothesis is that a new bag-mask design would be as effective and easy to use as a standard, self-inflating resuscitation bag-mask. METHODS: We conducted a comparative evaluation of the performance and acceptability of the Laerdal 220-mL resuscitator with a size-1 mask (NeoNatalie) and a Laerdal prototype Upright resuscitator with a modified mask. Participants evaluated the devices in random order using a commercially available test lung and training mannikin with an integrated chest-rise module. The test lung was configured with healthy and sick newborn lung mechanics. Two user groups participated: (1) frequent users who had used manual resuscitators to resuscitate infants and (2) infrequent users who received competency-based training and had not previously used manual resuscitators to resuscitate infants. RESULTS: Thirty-eight individuals participated in the study during March 2013. Both resuscitators are capable of delivering the minimum required tidal volumes to newborns. The Upright device provided a significant reduction in the percentage of inadequate ventilations (< 12.5 mL) compared with the NeoNatalie. Although the test sequences with low-compliance lung settings showed no difference in the percentage of excessive ventilations (> 37.5 mL) between the Upright and NeoNatalie, the test sequences with normal-compliance lung settings showed a higher percentage of excessive ventilations with both, and the increase was greater with the Upright than with the NeoNatalie (85.92% vs 71.39%, P < .001). The subjective acceptability and disassembly/reassembly tests were supportive of the new device design. CONCLUSIONS: The performance and acceptability of the Upright device in this user population suggest that the device may be suitable for effective ventilation by infrequent users in low-resource settings. The Upright device should be tested in such a setting.