Sensing and Responding to Compliance Changes during Manual Ventilation Using a Lung Model: Can We Teach Healthcare Providers to Improve?

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that an educational intervention would improve the resuscitator's ability to provide on-target volume ventilation during pulmonary compliance changes.Study designNeonatal professionals (n = 27) ventilated an electromechanical lung model simulating a 3-kg baby while targeting a tidal volume of 4-6 mL/kg. In this preintervention and postintervention study, a one-on-one educational intervention aimed to improve the primary outcome of on-target tidal volume delivery during high and low compliance. Seventeen subjects were retested 8 months later.ResultsWhen only pressure was displayed, and using a self-inflating bag, participants improved from a mean of 6% of breaths on-target to 21% immediately after education (P < .01). Using a flow-inflating bag, participants improved from 1% to 7% of breaths on-target (P < .01). Eight-month retention testing demonstrated no difference compared with baseline. With volume displayed, the mean baseline success rate was 84% with the self-inflating bag and 68% with the flow-inflating bag. There was no significant change after education or at 8-month follow-up.ConclusionWhen pressure is displayed, resuscitators can improve their ability to respond to changes in compliance after an educational intervention. When volume is displayed, performance is markedly better at baseline, but not improved after the intervention. Our findings reconfirm that resuscitation bags should have volume displays.