Free-flow oxygen delivery using a T-piece resuscitator
- 1Neonatal Services, Royal Women’s Hospital Carlton, Victoria, Australia
- 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- 3Neonatal Services, Royal Women’s Hospital Carlton, Victoria, Australia
- Jennifer Dawson, Neonatal Nurse Researcher, Division of Newborn Services, Royal Women’s Hospital, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia; jennifer.dawson{at}rwh.org.au
T-pieces are increasingly used for administering intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) during neonatal resuscitation.1 They can also be used to provide free-flowing oxygen to babies who are breathing but remain cyanosed.2 The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) guidelines recommend that when using a T-piece resuscitator the mask should be loosely placed on the infant’s face with the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) valve occluded to allow delivery of a reliable amount of oxygen.2 There are no reports documenting the percentage of oxygen delivered when the PEEP valve is, or is not, occluded. …
