pCO₂ variation in elective transfers of infants on non-invasive respiratory support

Repatriations to local care are an integral part of the remit of neonatal transport teams, with a significant proportion of these infants being transferred on non-invasive respiratory support. A routine blood gas on arrival at the receiving unit is part of our team’s current practice for elective repatriations of infants on non-invasive respiratory support. Through retrospective review of data from a large number of patients transferred, we aimed to determine if there was a significant change in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂) on arrival at the receiving unit, and to identify a subgroup of infants most at risk of an increase in pCO₂.

Catarina Couto
Clinical Fellow
catarina.couto@uhs.nhs.uk

Mira Parmar
Neonatal Grid Trainee

Julia Arthur
Consultant Neonatologist, PaNDR

Samantha O’Hare
Consultant Neonatologist, Neonatal Lead for PaNDR

Sue Broster
Consultant Neonatologist, Clinical Director for PaNDR

Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval (PaNDR) service, Cambridge University Hospitals

Full text available by subscription ...

The full text of this article is available to subscribers in text, and in Tablet/iPad format and as a PDF file.

Please subscribe and log in to see the full article.

Keywords

repatriations; neonatal transport; non-invasive respiratory support; partial pressure of carbon dioxide

Key points

We found no significant change in pCO₂ on arrival at the receiving unit in infants undergoing elective repatriations on non-invasive respiratory support.
A routine blood gas on arrival at the receiving unit following elective repatriations is unnecessary.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2/MARCH 2022

Simulation-based curriculum development and team training for neonatal transport: a Canadian experience

The transport of critically ill newborns requires a highly competent team with proven skills for caring for sick neonates. Simulation provides an opportunity to allow transport team members to both acquire and maintain skills specific to their role. This article will shed light on the importance of simulation training for neonatal and paediatric transport teams as well as provide a practical approach to building a transport simulation programme.

pCO2 variation in elective transfers of infants on non-invasive respiratory support

pCO₂ variation in elective transfers of infants on non-invasive respiratory support