NICU bedside caregivers sustain process improvement and decrease incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants < 30 weeks gestation

Evidence-based Practice Interventions for Reducing Postoperative Pulmonary Complications: A Narrative Review

Background

Specific surgical procedures, such as upper abdominal and thoracic surgery, are connected to an increased predisposition of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The incidence of PPCs could vary approximately between 20-90% with upper abdominal surgery, which can be minimized by using treatment procedures that increase lung capacity and encourage inspiration. This review aims to examine the effectiveness of already existing evidence-based interventions that promote lung expansion, thereby preventing PPCs.

Method

We mainly focused on the existing evidence of preoperative education on the incentive spirometer, early mobilization, directed coughing, deep breathing exercises, chest physiotherapy, and inspiratory muscle training (IMT) to prevent PPCs. The literature search was limited to experimental, observational studies, systemic reviews, and articles published in the last 15 years, January 2007- Dec. 2022, in PubMed and Google Scholar.

Result

This initial search yielded a total of 5301 articles. All articles with titles not related to the topic were eliminated. 1050 records were screened, and the final review was conducted with 22 articles, including 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), four systemic reviews, one retrospective review, three observational studies, and one non-experimental study. Our review reveals mixed evidence for individual interventions, including but not limited to incentive spirometry, inspiratory muscle training, early mobilization, cough, deep breathing, etc. Some studies maintain that intervention is effective; others imply there is no substantial difference in the choice of intervention.

Conclusion

The literature review concluded that patients who received multiple interventions showed significant improvement in pulmonary function postoperatively. However, definitive studies need to be conducted to solidify this conclusion.

Developing a Respiratory Quality Improvement Program to Prevent and Treat Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Improvements in respiratory care have resulted in improved outcomes for preterm infants over the past three decades. To target the multifactorial nature of neonatal lung diseases, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) should consider developing comprehensive respiratory quality improvement programs that address all drivers of neonatal respiratory disease. This article presents a potential framework for developing a quality improvement program to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the NICU. Drawing on available research and quality improvement reports, the authors discuss key components, measures, drivers, and interventions that should be considered when building a respiratory quality improvement program devoted to preventing and treating bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Prematurity, the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and maturation of ventilatory control

Infants born before 32 weeks gestational age and receiving respiratory support at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) are diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This label suggests that their need for supplemental oxygen (O₂ ) is primarily due to acquired dysplasia of airways and airspaces, and that the supplemental O₂ is treating residual parenchymal lung disease. However, emerging evidence suggests that immature ventilatory control may also contribute to the need for supplemental O₂ at 36 weeks PMA. In all newborns, maturation of ventilatory control continues ex utero and is a plastic process. Among premature infants, supplemental O₂ mitigates the hypoxemic effects of delayed maturation of ventilatory control, as well as reduces the duration and frequency of periodic breathing events. Nevertheless, prematurity is associated with altered and occasionally aberrant maturation of ventilatory control. Infants born prematurely, with or without a diagnosis of BPD, are more prone to long-lasting effects of dysfunctional ventilatory control. This review addresses normal and abnormal maturation of ventilatory control and suggests how aberrant maturation complicates assigning the diagnosis of BPD. Greater awareness of the interaction between parenchymal lung disease and delayed maturation of ventilatory control is essential to understanding why a given premature infant requires and is benefitting from supplemental O₂ at 36 weeks PMA.

A systematic review of reports of quality improvement for bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common morbidity of preterm infants, and its incidence has not responded to research and intervention efforts to the same degree as other major morbidities associated with prematurity. The complexity of neonatal respiratory care as well as persistent inter-institutional variability in BPD rates suggest that BPD may be amenable to quality improvement (QI) efforts. We present a systematic review of QI for BPD in preterm infants. We identified 22 reports from single centers and seven from collaborative efforts published over the past two decades. In almost all of the reports, respiratory QI interventions successfully reduced BPD or other key respiratory measures, particularly for infants with birth weight over 1000 g. Several themes and lessons from existing reports may help inform future efforts in both research and QI to impact the burden of BPD.

Vermont Oxford Network: a worldwide learning community

A health care learning community engages providers and families in a collaborative environment to improve outcomes. Vermont Oxford Network (VON), a voluntary organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety and value of care through a coordinated program of data-driven quality improvement, education, and research, is a worldwide learning community in newborn medicine. Through collection of pragmatic structured data items and benchmarking reports, quality improvement collaboratives, pragmatic trials, and observational research, VON facilitates quality improvement by multidisciplinary teams and families in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in low, middle, and high resource countries. By bringing health professionals and families together across disciplines and geographies to enable shared learning and knowledge dissemination, VON empowers individuals, organizations, and systems to meet the shared vision that every infant around the world can and should achieve their full potential.

Benefícios da inserção do fisioterapeuta sobre o perfil de prematuros de baixo risco internados em unidade de terapia intensiva

RESUMO O presente estudo visa descrever os benefícios da inserção do fisioterapeuta sobre o perfil de prematuros de baixo risco internados em unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Estudo caso-controle, retrospectivo, com consulta aos prontuários de prematuros internados em 2006/2007 sem fisioterapia (PREF) e em 2009/2010 com fisioterapia por até 8h/dia (POSF). Incluíram-se 61 prematuros no período PREF e 93 no POSF, nascidos com ≥1000g, SNAP-PE II <40, com tempo de suporte ventilatório ≥24h. Verificou-se os perfis materno e dos neonatos, tempos de internação, de ventilação mecânica invasiva e não invasiva e de oxigenoterapia. Realizou-se análise descritiva, teste Mann Whitney, teste t, qui-quadrado e Fisher, considerando-se p≤0,05. Houve diferença significativa entre as idades gestacionais [PREF: 230,5 (±16,5)/ POSF: 226 (±15); p=0,05], frequência de sepse [PREF: 6 (10%)/ POSF: 30 (32%); p<0,01], de síndrome do desconforto respiratório [PREF: 11(18%)/ POSF: 43 (46%); p<0,01], necessidade de reanimação na sala de parto [PREF: 10 (16%)/ POSF: 32 (34%); p=0,02], necessidade de intubação orotraqueal [PREF: 8 (13%)/ POSF: 26 (28%); p=0,05], tempo de ventilação não invasiva (PREF: 0,1±0,4 dias/ POSF: 0,8±2,3 dias; p<0,01), de ventilação invasiva (PREF: 0,4±1,3 dias/ POSF: 1,3±3,3 dias; p=0,04), de pressão positiva contínua em vias aéreas (PREF: 1,5±1,0 dias/ POSF: 2,7±3,8 dias; p=0,04). A presença do fisioterapeuta gerou benefícios, contribuindo para a manutenção dos tempos de internação e de oxigenoterapia mesmo diante de um perfil de recém-nascidos mais imaturos e com mais intercorrências no período após a inserção da fisioterapia.

Follow-up of Acute kidney injury in Neonates during Childhood Years (FANCY): a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates commonly experience acute kidney injury (AKI) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We hypothesize that VLBW neonates exposed to AKI in the NICU might be at a higher risk of renal dysfunction during childhood.

METHODS

In this cohort study, VLBW children (aged 3-7 years) completed a kidney health evaluation and were stratified according to AKI status in the NICU. The primary outcome was renal dysfunction defined as any of the following: estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <90 mL/min/1.73 m², urine protein/creatinine >0.2 or blood pressure ≥95th percentile.

RESULTS

Thirty-four subjects completed the study. Twenty subjects had a history of neonatal AKI (stage 1, n = 8; stage 2, n = 9; and stage 3, n = 3). At a median age of 5 years, the AKI group had a higher risk of renal dysfunction compared with the group without AKI (65% vs 14%, relative risk 4.5 (1.2-17.1), p = 0.01). Overall, 26% of the total cohort had an eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m² using serum cystatin C (35% of AKI subjects, 14% of no AKI subjects, p = 0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence of renal dysfunction in neonates born VLBW can be found early in childhood. Further work is necessary to determine how to reduce renal disease in this vulnerable population.

The Role of Caffeine in Noninvasive Respiratory Support

Caffeine is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in preterm neonates and is widely used to treat or prevent apnea of prematurity. Caffeine therapy is safe, effectively decreases apnea, and improves short- and long-term outcomes in preterm infants. In this review, the authors summarize the role of caffeine therapy for preterm infants receiving noninvasive respiratory support. As caffeine is already widely used, recent data are summarized that may guide clinicians in optimizing the use of caffeine therapy, with a review of the timing of initiation, dose, and duration of therapy.

[Effect of breastfeeding quality improvement on breastfeeding rate in very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight infants]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of breastfeeding quality improvement on the breastfeeding rate in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of VLBW and ELBW infants who were admitted from July 2014 to July 2015 (pre-improvement group) and those who were admitted from August 2015 to June 2016 after the implementation of breastfeeding quality improvement measures (post-improvement group). The parameters including condition of breastfeeding (breastfeeding rate, breastfeeding amount, and breastfeeding time), duration of parenteral nutrition, time to enteral feeding, and incidence of feeding intolerance were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The implementation of breastfeeding quality improvement measures significantly increased breastfeeding rate and amount, significantly shortened time to addition of human milk fortifier, duration of parenteral nutrition, and time to enteral feeding, and significantly decreased the incidence of feeding intolerance.

CONCLUSIONS

Breastfeeding quality improvement measures can increase breastfeeding rate in the NICU and decrease gastrointestinal complications in preterm infants.

[Effect of breastfeeding quality improvement on breastfeeding rate in very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight infants]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of breastfeeding quality improvement on the breastfeeding rate in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of VLBW and ELBW infants who were admitted from July 2014 to July 2015 (pre-improvement group) and those who were admitted from August 2015 to June 2016 after the implementation of breastfeeding quality improvement measures (post-improvement group). The parameters including condition of breastfeeding (breastfeeding rate, breastfeeding amount, and breastfeeding time), duration of parenteral nutrition, time to enteral feeding, and incidence of feeding intolerance were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The implementation of breastfeeding quality improvement measures significantly increased breastfeeding rate and amount, significantly shortened time to addition of human milk fortifier, duration of parenteral nutrition, and time to enteral feeding, and significantly decreased the incidence of feeding intolerance.

CONCLUSIONS

Breastfeeding quality improvement measures can increase breastfeeding rate in the NICU and decrease gastrointestinal complications in preterm infants.