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Decreasing Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Failure in Preterm Infants
Venkatakrishna B Kakkilaya1, Heather M Weydig2, William E Smithhart2
1Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas venkat.kakkilaya@utsouthwestern.edu.
Insights
A new quality improvement bundle reduced continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) failure in preterm infants. This intervention also decreased the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) in vulnerable newborns.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Intensive Care
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
- Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Background:
- Many preterm infants (≤29 weeks' gestational age) on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) require mechanical ventilation (MV) within 72 hours, defined as CPAP failure.
- Reducing CPAP failure is critical for improving outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To decrease the rate of CPAP failure in infants ≤29 weeks' gestational age (GA).
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement bundle on CPAP failure and associated outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of the OPTISURF quality improvement bundle for infants ≤29 weeks' GA on CPAP.
- The bundle included stepwise CPAP escalation and less invasive surfactant administration, guided by fractional inspired oxygen concentration.
- Comparison of CPAP failure rates and other outcomes between pre-OPTISURF and post-OPTISURF cohorts.
Main Results:
- The post-OPTISURF cohort showed a significant decrease in CPAP failure (54% vs 11%; P < .01).
- Rates of pneumothoraces, need for MV, and patent ductus arteriosus treatment were also lower in the post-OPTISURF cohort.
- Subgroup analysis confirmed reduced CPAP failure across different gestational age ranges within the preterm group.
Conclusions:
- A quality improvement bundle effectively reduced CPAP failure and the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants.
- Optimizing CPAP and employing less invasive surfactant administration are key components for improving respiratory support in neonates.
Background And Objectives:
Many preterm infants stabilized on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at birth require mechanical ventilation (MV) during the first 72 hours of life, which is defined as CPAP failure. Our objective was to decrease CPAP failure in infants ≤29 weeks' gestational age (GA).
Methods:
A quality improvement bundle named OPTISURF was implemented for infants ≤29 weeks' GA admitted on CPAP, consisting of stepwise escalation of CPAP and less invasive surfactant administration guided by fractional inspired oxygen concentration ≥0.3. The CPAP failure rate was tracked by using control charts. We compared practice and outcomes of a pre-OPTISURF cohort (January 2017 to September 2018) to a post-OPTISURF cohort (October 2018 to December 2019).
Results:
Of the 216 infants ≤29 weeks' GA admitted to NICU on CPAP, 125 infants belonged to the pre-OPTISURF cohort (OSC) and 91 to the post-OSC. Compared with the pre-OSC, a higher proportion of infants in the post-OSC received CPAP 7 cm H2O within 4 hours of life (7% vs 32%; P < .01). The post-OSC also had lower rates of CPAP failure (54% vs 11%; P < .01), pneumothoraces (8% vs 1%; P < .03), need for MV (58% vs 31%; P < .01), and patent ductus arteriosus treatment (21% vs 9%; P = .02). Additionally, in a subgroup analysis, CPAP failure was lower in the post-OSC among infants 23 to 26 weeks (79% vs 27%; P < .01) and 27 to 29 weeks' GA (46% vs 3%; P < .01).
Conclusions:
Implementation of a quality improvement bundle including CPAP optimization and less invasive surfactant administration decreased CPAP failure and need for MV in preterm infants.
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