Assessment of chest rise during mask ventilation of preterm infants in the delivery room

Abstract

Background: Current neonatal resuscitation guidelines recommend using visual assessment of chest wall movements to guide the choice of inflating pressure during positive pressure ventilation (PPV) in the delivery room. The accuracy of this assessment has not been tested. We compared the assessment of chest rise made by observers standing at the infants' head and at the infants' side with measurements of tidal volume. Methods: Airway pressures and expiratory tidal volume (VTe) were measured during neonatal resuscitation using a respiratory function monitor. After 60s of PPV, resuscitators standing at the infants' head (head view) and at the side of the infant (side view) were asked to assess ..