No. (%)* | |
Course of action if all ventilators are in use and another infant requires mechanical ventilation (n=92) | |
The family will hire a ventilator from a rental company | 52 (57) |
Hand ventilation is attempted if there are individuals able to do so | 40 (44) |
The neonate is transferred to a facility with an available ventilator | 37 (40) |
Babies who are currently on the ventilator and who are on low ventilation settings are taken off support in the hope that they won’t need it | 12 (13) |
The hospital will hire a ventilator from a third party or source one from another unit | 12 (13) |
CPAP is attempted (either nasal or ET) | 4 (4) |
New babies who need treatment are kept comfortable and die | 1 (1) |
Rules or limitations placed on which infants are able to receive surfactant: (n=65) | |
No rules or limitations placed | 29 (45) |
Financial capacity of family | 23 (35) |
The infant must fall within a particular GA range | 6 (9) |
There is a maximum number of doses due to cost | 4 (6) |
Availability of medication | 4 (6) |
Availability of a mechanical ventilator | 1 (2) |
The infant must be of a minimum birth weight | 1 (2) |
*Respondents could select more than one answer. Percentages reflect the proportion of respondents who selected a particular answer, therefore percentages do not total 100.
CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; ET, endotracheal tube; GA, gestational age.