Effectiveness of positive pressure ventilation during newborn care unit evacuation

ObjectiveAssess the utility of high fidelity simulation in understanding effectiveness of bag-valve ventilation in a simulated newborn intensive care unit vertical evacuation.ParticipantsA total of 70 participants, (13 teams of 4-6 staff) including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other support personnel participated in a 90-min evacuation sessions.MethodsTwo wireless high-fidelity newborn mannequins (Gaumand ScientificR) provided real-time data of ventilation support during a NICU evacuation exercise. Trained evaluators also recorded data related to performance. Following the exercises, the simulator data were downloaded and analyzed for rate and consistency of respirations.ResultsUsing the data from the simulators and evaluator comments, it was found the infants received proper airway management during the evacuation only 58% of the time. This study highlights the need for ongoing training for NICU staff around safe, effective, coordinated, and timely care of these fragile newborns in the event of an evacuation.