Possibility of using non-invasive modes of respiratory support at the stages of interhospital transportation of newborns

Abstract

   Introduction. Respiratory support remains the most common procedure performed by neonatal transport team specialists. Non-invasive ventilation is a very common method of respiratory support for newborns, reducing the incidence of chronic lung disease. However, the safety and efficacy of this type of support during transportation remain controversial.   The aim of the work is to determine the current state of the problem of non-invasive respiratory support in newborns in the initial medical organization, at the stage of pre-transport preparation and during transportation.   Materials and methods. Literature sources were searched and selected in PubMed and eLibrary. The following queries were used for the search: nasal continuous positive airway pressure, non invasive ventilation, neonate, newborn, patient transportation, transport, transfer. Types of studies considered: retrospective observational studies, prospective studies (randomized, quasi-randomized, non-randomized), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical protocols. Depth of search − 20 years. The total number of publications included in the review was 61, including 29 studies directly related to the use of noninvasive ventilation in interhospital neonatal transport.   Results and discussion. Non-invasive respiratory support is one of the priority and actively used methods of therapy of respiratory disorders of various genesis in neonatology. Nasal CPAP is used both independently and in conjunction with various methods of surfactant administration, reducing the risk of a combined outcome “death or chronic lung disease”. It is recommended both as a method of starting respiratory support and as an intermediate option to increase the probability of successful extubation. There is limited experience with non-invasive respiratory support during interhospital transport of neonates. The available studies suggest that when patients are selected rationally and reasonable criteria are applied to administer nCPAP en route, this method of respiratory support is safe, effective, maintains the benefits of spontaneous breathing, and reduces the duration of intensive care. The small number and poor design quality of studies in this direction do not allow at this stage to form evidence-based recommendations.   Conclusion. Medical evacuation of newborns from 1−2 level institutions to level 3 organization with nCPAP is safe and has a number of potential benefits. Existing recommendations are empirical, and there are exceptionally few studies evaluating the validity of such recommendations.