This quality standard covers neonatal respiratory support in hospital for babies born preterm (before 37 weeks of pregnancy). It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
These have just been published and contain standards against which services can measure their performance:
- Statement 1 Preterm babies having respiratory support soon after birth and before admission to the neonatal unit are given continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP), if clinically appropriate, rather than invasive ventilation.
- Statement 2 Preterm babies who need surfactant are given it using a minimally invasive technique if they do not need invasive ventilation.
- Statement 3 Preterm babies having invasive ventilation are given volume-targeted ventilation (VTV) in combination with synchronised ventilation.
- Statement 4 Preterm babies have a target oxygen saturation of 91% to 95% after stabilisation.
- Statement 5 Parents and carers of preterm babies who are having respiratory support are helped to care for their baby.
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