Objective:To study the effects of quality improvement project of respiratory support in delivery room on the short-term clinical outcomes of very/extremely low birth weight infant (VLBWI/ELBWI).Methods:The clinical data of VLBWI/ELBWI before and after the implementation of the quality improvement project of respiratory support in delivery room in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The incidences of endotracheal intubation in delivery room, total endotracheal intubation within 72 h after birth, mechanical ventilation duration, total oxygen therapy duration, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other complications were compared between pre-improvement group (from January to October 2019) and post-improvement group (from January to December 2020).Results:A total of 85 cases were included in pre-improvement group and 85 in post-improvement group. The gestational age of the two groups were (29.2±1.4) weeks and (29.1±1.5)weeks and the birth weight were (1 180±195) g and (1 186±207) g, without significant differences ( P>0.05). After the implementation of the quality improvement project, the incidence of endotracheal intubation in the delivery room decreased from 32.9% to 2.4%, and the total incidence of endotracheal intubation within 72 h after birth decreased from 58.8% to 27.1%. The usage of pulmonary surfactant significantly decreased from 54.1% to 38.8% ( P<0.05) and the incidence of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) also significantly decreased from 17.6% to 5.9% ( P<0.05).No significant differences existed among other complications ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The quality improvement project of respiratory support in the delivery room can significantly reduce the incidence of endotracheal intubation in VLBWI/ELBWI without increasing short-term adverse outcome.

Objective:To study the efficacy of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and minimally invasive surfactant therapy (MIST) in very preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).Methods:From January to December 2020, very preterm infants (gestation age ≤30 weeks) with RDS born and treated in our hospital were randomly assigned into NIPPV group and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) group. Both groups were treated with MIST technique. The following items were compared between the two groups:adverse reactions during MIST, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2) at 2 h after MIST, the incidences of intubation within 72 h, two or more doses of pulmonary surfactant (PS), frequent apnea, other complications and the parameters of respiratory support treatment. Results:A total of 62 cases were included, with 32 in the NIPPV group and 30 in the NCPAP group. Compared with the NCPAP group, the NIPPV group had lower incidences of bradycardia (6.3% vs. 30.0%), decreased oxygen saturation (12.5% vs. 40.0%) and apnea (6.3% vs. 30.0%) during MIST ( P<0.05). No significant difference existed in the incidence of regurgitation ( P>0.05). PaCO 2 at 2 h after MIST [40.1(38.2,43.8)mmHg vs. 48.3(44.1,50.0)mmHg], the incidences of intubation within 72 h (6.3% vs. 30.0%), two or more doses of PS (6.3% vs. 30.0%)and frequent apnea (6.3% vs. 30.0%) in NIPPV group were lower than NCPAP group ( P<0.05). No significant differences existed between the two groups on the following items: the durations of invasive ventilation, non-invasive ventilation, oxygen therapy, the incidences of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage (≥Ⅲ), periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity (≥Ⅱ), necrotizing enterocolitis (≥Ⅱb), nasal injury, air leak and death ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Combining NIPPV and MIST can reduce the incidence of adverse reactions during PS administration without increasing respiratory support duration and common complications in preterm infants. It is recommended for clinical use.

Objective:To study the risk factors of failure using nasal high frequency oscillatory ventilation (nHFOV) as initial therapy in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs).Methods:From January 2018 to December 2021, VLBWIs with RDS initially supported by nHFOV in NICU of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned into success and failure groups according to the ventilation efficacy. Demographic data and clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared. Risk factors of initial nHFOV failure were analyzed using binary Logistic regression method.Results:A total of 135 infants were included, including 103 in the success group and 32 in the failure group. The initial nHFOV failure rate was 23.7%. The failure group had lower pH (7.26±0.09 vs. 7.33±0.08) and PaO 2 [61.0 (49.6, 77.2) mmHg vs. 83.6 (64.4, 99.0) mmHg] than the success group ( P<0.05) and higher PaCO 2 than the success group [49.0 (42.3, 58.1) mmHg vs. 43.4 (36.0, 50.0) mmHg] ( P<0.05). Using PaCO 2 as predictor, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.682 (95% CI 0.575-0.788) and the cut-off value was 44.8 mmHg for nHFOV failure and the AUC was 0.716 (95% CI 0.615-0.817) and the cut-off value was 67.1 mmHg for nHFOV success. The incidences of early onset sepsis (EOS), shock within 3 d and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) in the failure group were significantly higher than the success group (40.6% vs. 7.8%, 53.1% vs. 2.9%, 31.3% vs. 13.6%, P<0.05, respectively). Binary logistic regression analysis found that PaO 2<67.1 mmHg ( OR=5.458,95% CI 1.730-17.220) on the first blood gas analysis and shock within 3 d ( OR=26.585,95% CI 3.854-183.396) were independent risk factors for initial nHFOV failure ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The failure of initial nHFOV is correlated with the first blood gas parameters, EOS, hsPDA and shock within 3 d. Shock within 3 d and low PaO 2(<67.1 mmHg) were independent risk factors for initial nHFOV failure.

Objective:To study the safety and feasibility of application of delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC) in very preterm and extremely preterm infants.Methods:Based on the previous improvement projects of temperature management and respiratory support, we conducted a prospective study on the effect of umbilical cord clamping quality improvement project using the clinical data of very preterm and extremely preterm infants admitted to Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The infants admitted from July to December 2020 who underwent immediate umbilical cord clamping (ICC) were included in the ICC group, and the infants admitted from January to June 2021 who underwent DCC were involved in the DCC group. The incidence of asphyxia, hypothermia, endotracheal intubation within 24 h after birth, endotracheal intubation within 72 h after birth, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and other complications, mechanical ventilation duration and total oxygen therapy duration were compared between the two groups.Results:A total of 45 cases were included in ICC group and 54 cases in DCC group. The gestational age of the two groups was (29.3±1.7) weeks and (29.6±1.4) weeks, and the birth weight was (1 250±332) g and (1 257±306) g. The differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of asphyxia, hypothermia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and other complications related to preterm infants, tracheal intubation rates within 24 and 72 h, and the neonatal temperature at admission to NICU ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Delayed umbilical cord clamping does not increase the risks of asphyxia, hypothermia or invasive respiratory support in very preterm and extremely preterm infants.