An evaluation of bubble-CPAP in a neonatal unit in a developing country: Effective respiratory support that can be applied by nurses

Abstract

To describe the implementation of bubble-CPAP in a referral hospital in a developing country and to investigate: the feasibility of nurses implementing bubble-CPAP and the impact of bubble-CPAP on need for mechanical ventilation and mortality. Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data from two time periods: 18 months before and 18 months after the introduction of bubble-CPAP. The introduction of bubble-CPAP was associated with a 50 per cent reduction in the need for mechanical ventilation; from 113 of 1106 (10.2 per cent) prior to bubble-CPAP to 70 of 1382 (5.1%) after introduction of CPAP (χ2, p<0.001). In the 18 months prior to bubble-CPAP there were 79 deaths (case fatality..