The latest technology in infant resuscitation is now available at Texas County Memorial Hospital.
Thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Kerr Foundation, the hospital recently purchased a F & P Neopuff Infant T-Piece Resuscitator. Commonly referred to as a Neopuff, the T-piece device has a self-inflating bag that uses compressed air to ventilate newborns via a face mask or endotracheal tube. The Neopuff is used by doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists at TCMH to help newborns that are in respiratory distress by providing exact air requirements needed for inhaling and exhaling.
Angela Watkins, obstetrics department director at TCMH, said the device is the best way to resuscitate newborn babies that are not breathing when they are born or newborns that are having issues with breathing.
“We get great outcomes and great results with the Neopuff,” Watkins said.
In the past, infants with breathing issues at birth would receive air from a manually squeezed bag. The manual resuscitation method was less consistent and subject to human error.
Neopuff provides continuous positive airway pressure for as long as needed. The Neopuff at TCMH is on a cart, so it’s available to the emergency department to assist with an infant brought in by ambulance, to the surgery department during Caesarean section deliveries, and to be used throughout the obstetrics department.
“The mobility of the Neopuff is a big advantage for us,” Watkins said.
Watkins said hospital staff received training on the Neopuff functions.
“Now that our staff knows how important and how useful the Neopuff is, they want it at the bedside at every delivery,” Watkins said.
The Neopuff prevents over-inflation of the infant lungs. In addition to helping newborns breath that may have stopped breathing or that have not taken their own breath at birth, the Neopuff can help clear up infant lungs that have mucous or fluid in them from the delivery.
“The TCMH OB department takes a lot of pride in the one-on-one and personalized care we provide with every delivering experience, and we are very proud to have state of the art equipment to go alongside our care,” Watkins said.
TCMH delivers approximately 300 babies annually. Delivering healthcare providers at the hospital include Patricia Benoist, MD; Matthew Brown, MD; Cory Offutt, MD; and Joshua Wolfe, MD; all family medicine physicians; as well as Christopher Baldwin, MD, obstetrician/gynecologist, and Tracey Arwood, certified nurse midwife.
The Kerr Foundation Inc. in Oklahoma City, Okla., is a nonprofit charitable and educational corporation. Its grants are only available for projects in Oklahoma and the states that surround it. The foundation seeks to identify and support programs, organizations and institutions that provide new or enhanced opportunities for young people in their granting area.