Neonatal invasive ventilation may result in a number of short and long-term impediments including lung inflammation, lung injury, and chronic lung disease.1–4 Minimizing invasive neonatal ventilations may help avoid these complications.1
As noninvasive ventilation gains popularity domestically, loose-fitting interfaces — such as the nasal cannula prongs — may allow air leakage, which can lead to inaccurate tidal volumes.1 Noninvasive ventilator monitors provide ventilator pressure readings in the circuit, but they don’t represent actual delivered pressure at the cannula opening. By the time airflow reaches the neonate, pressure may have significantly dropped. Without an accurate pressure reading, it may be difficult to maximize respiratory care management for your patients.
There are, however, advances in software technology designed to provide greater insights into not just airway leaks, but pressure delivery. NIV+ software with the Puritan Bennett™ 980 (PB980) ventilator helps provide clinicians additional insights on a neonate’s respiratory experience to better support clinicians.
For premature neonates suffering from severe respiratory failure associated with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the predominate intervention method for decades has been endotracheal intubation (ETT) with invasive ventilation.1 Although this may have served as a standard ventilation intervention practice, studies found invasive ventilation to be disruptive to neonatal patients.1
Increased stress may occur when an ETT is implemented with a neonate. And during the first few weeks and months of a neonate’s life, the goal is to reduce discomfort and stress, which can happen even with routine care.5–7 When a neonate is intubated with uncuffed tubes — significant patient leaks may occur.8
Related: Read more on managing ventilator support for your neonate patients.
To better manage neonatal respiratory care, it’s essential to provide lung protective ventilation that accurately controls pressure and tidal volume levels, as well as prevents atelectasis or injury.9 Noninvasive ventilation provides this respiratory support and may prevent intubation among neonates from occuring.1 With noninvasive ventilation, there are a number of circuit types including nasal cannula interfaces.
While noninvasive ventilation can help decrease the need for stressful procedures and intubation complications associated with invasive ventilation, interface airway leaks can be problematic. If a greater than 50 percent leak occurs, very minimal pressure is delivered — considered a clinically negligible amount.9 Helping to support the holistic picture of how a neonate’s respiratory care is managed with the PB980 ventilator is the NIV+ software, designed to provide accurate ventilation pressures.
Engineered to provide even more insight into your most vulnerable patient’s breathing, NIV+ software displays real ventilation pressure at the interface. NIV+ software sends flow through the circuit and interface to characterize resistance and determine interface pressure.
Having insight into actual delivered pressure may support better respiratory management. Consider this example. If a neonate struggles to breathe because of a leak, the clinician can use the NIV+ software provided end inspiratory interface pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in efforts to stabilize a patient based on real noninvasive circuit pressure readings.
Proprietary to the PB980 ventilator, in combination with the Leak Sync software, patient monitoring is enhanced so clinicians know:
NIV+ software also incorporates a disconnect strategy to help detect when the cannula is no longer connected to the neonate. With NIV+ software on the PB980 ventilator, clinicians can set specific criteria for both the leak and disconnect so that only important alarms sound while nuisance alarms are minimized.
Related: Explore our clinical evidence guide on enhancing neonatal respiratory protection .
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9. Chatburn R. Iyer NP. Evaluation of a nasal cannula in noninvasive ventilation using a lung simulator. Respir Care 2014 0;60(0):1.