CSC Standardized Curriculum

Specialty: Pediatrics

Simulation:Infant (newborn) Code Blue in MBU/ALTE in MBU

Submitted by: MAJ Taylor Sawyer

Target Audience: Pediatric and Family Medicine Residents, Pediatric and Family Medicine Staff

ACGME Competencies Addressed:

Medical Knowledge

Patient Care

Communication

Professionalism

RRC Requirements Addressed:

Advanced life support

Endotracheal intubation

IO insertion

Case Scenarios

Primary:

Mother-Baby unit: Student called to a code in the MBU treatment room of a 1 day old full term, previously healthy infant who was found ‘blue and not breathing’ in its crib in the mother’s room. The mother called for the nurse who brought infant to treatment room and began resuscitation. Infant was born via SVD approx 24 hours ago. Prenatal course was unremarkable. Prenatal labs negative. Infant had previously doing well with normal vital signs and good feeding attempts. On arrival infant is apneic, and cyanotic. Monitors are not attached and nurse is rubbing baby’s back to stimulate respirations.

Alternate scenario:

Labor and delivery: Student called to labor and delivery room after infant ‘turned blue’ while breast feeding and stopped breathing. Nurse was called by mother and infant moved to warmer. Infant was born via SVD approx 2 hours ago. Prenatal course was unremarkable. Prenatal labs negative. Infant had previously doing well, Apgars 8/9. On arrival infant is apneic, and cyanotic. Monitors are not attached and nurse is rubbing baby’s back to stimulate respirations.

Basic Instructions for participants:

Please read the scenario and then enter the room when instructed by your staff.

You may ask questions if you have them, and please remember to:

  1. Treat the situation as realistically as possible.
  2. Think out loud, vocalize abnormal/critical findings, state the doses of drugs, and declare differential diagnoses you are considering. Only with this behavior can we evaluate you and make sure you succeed.
  3. If you have questions about the simulation or manikin ask the supervisor
  4. If you need further patient information, ask; do not make assumptions; do not declare the answers/results to physical finding/labs without asking
  5. Assume that you can request any resource you would have available in the hospital in which you are training.

Simulation Setup:

Simulators to be used: SimBaby

Room Setup:

  • Primary: SimBaby on warmer in Mother Baby Unit treatment room.
  • Have room set-up in normal fashion with BVM in usual place (if there is one).
  • Peds crash cart (if available)
  • Alternate: SimBaby on warmer in L&D room
  • Routine delivery room resuscitation equipment.

Equipment needed:

  • Pediatric code cart,
  • Resuscitation meds (Epi),
  • Bag-valve mask, ET tubes infant sizes: 3.0 - 4.0,
  • laryngoscope, stylet, tape
  • IV catheters (24 and 22 gauge),
  • IV extension tubing, pediatric interosseus needle, tape,
  • monitor leads,
  • 5cc syringe,
  • 3 cc syringe, 1 cc syringe,
  • 3 way stop cock

Optional Equipment:

  • SimBaby monitor screen for CRM,
  • Pulse oximeter probe (display sats on SimBaby monitor if used)

Personnel needed:

  • scenario instructor,
  • scenario monitor,
  • confederate nurse,
  • SimBaby technician

Basic Scenario Tips:

  • Participants should be paged STAT on the either the delivery pagers or code pager to the location used (MBU, L&D).
  • Upon arrival the residents should be given a brief history by the confederate nurse.
  • Have monitor leads and pulse-ox available but not hooked up in MBU scenario.
  • Monitor not available in L&D.
  • But may use pulse-ox if these are routinely available in L&D.

Case Flow/Algorithm with branch point and completion criteria:

Primary scenario: Infant (newborn) code in MBU

1. Initial assessment:

General: limp cyanotic and apneic infant

Airway: Clear, without obstruction

Appropriate initial interventions include providing BVM with 100% oxygen.

Breathing: SimBaby initial RR = 0.

Appropriate intervention includes support of respirations with BVM or intubation.

Circulation: HR low at 30pbm. BP-not available.

Appropriate intervention include airway management and PPV (chest compression should not be started until airway and breathing are addressed)

Improvement:

If adequate PPV given via BVM within 1minute after start of scenario,Sats improve to 80%. HR stays at 30bpm. Apnea continues

If ETT placed successfully and PPV provided within 5 minute after start of scenario,Sats improve to 100%. HR increases to 120. Spontaneous respirations start.

Deterioration:

If adequate PPV not given via BVM within 1minute after start of scenario, Sats drop to 60%. HR drops to 10 bpm. Apnea continues

If ETT not placed successfully and PPV provided within 3 minute after start of scenario,Sats drop to 40%. HR drops to 0. Apnea continues.

If ETT not placed successfully and PPV provided within 5 minute after start of scenario,Sats drop 20%. HR stays at 0. Apnea continues and simulation ends.

2. Call for Diagnostic tools:

  • If participant calls for CXR the supervisor should respond “they are on their way” (but they never show up).
  • If ABG or other labs are ordered the results will be ‘pending’ and not available during the simulation.

Case Flow

ALTE in MBU or L&D

Alternate scenario: Newborn ALTE in L&D

Case Flow: Same as above

Common pitfalls to monitor for:

Not recognizing that need for intubation with sats of 80% with BVM

Starting chest compressions before establishing an airway

Giving epinephrine before establishing an airway

Physician # / Name ______Date ______

Training Site ______Grader ______

Training Level: (Circle One) PGY-1 PGY-2 PGY-3Fellow Staff

CompletedNot Completed Indeterminate

History (3 points)

Obtains relevant history (2 point)

Requests vital signs (1 point)

Physical Exam(9 points)

Recognizes apnea (3 points)

Recognizes cyanosis (3 point)

Recognizes bradycardia (3 points)

Diagnostic evaluation (3 points)

Diagnoses respiratory arrest (3 points)

Management (9 points)

Applies oxygen (1 point)

Facemask 5-10 LPM

Nasal cannula 2LPM

Provides PPV via BVM (3 point)

Intubates infant (3 points)

Reassesses vitals after each intervention

(2 points)

Completed Not completed Indeterminate

Time goals (6 points)

Provides PPV via BVM within one minute after start of scenario (3 points)

Endotracheal intubation completed within five minutes after start of scenario

(3 points)

Incorrect

Incorrect Actions and Interventions

Starting chest compressions before airway is secured

(-3 points)

Gives IV epinephrine before airway is secured

(- 2 points)

Scenario score: Assign points for all items checked as ‘Completed’ or ‘Incorrect”.

No points are given for “Not completed” and ‘Indeterminate’ actions.

(Maximum points possible for this scenario = 30)

Correct action points = _____

Incorrect action points = _____

Total scenario points = _____

Percent scenario score (Total scenario points /30) = _____

Overall scenario performance rating:

 1 (poor) 2 (fair) 3 (good) 4 (Very good)  5 (Excellent)

Please answer the following questions about this provider’s performance:

1. Provider performed airway evaluation in timely fashion

Strongly DisagreeNeither agreeStrongly Agree

Or disagree

0 1 2345678910

2. Respiratory status exam was accurate and complete

Strongly DisagreeNeither agreeStrongly Agree

Or disagree

0 1 2345678910

3. Providerinitiated appropriate diagnostic evaluation in a timely fashion

Strongly DisagreeNeither agreeStrongly Agree

Or disagree

0 1 2345678910

4. Providermade appropriate therapeutic decision

Extremely Poor Average Outstanding

0 1 2345678910

4. How prepared do you feel the provider was to manage an infant code in the MBU?

Not prepared at allReasonably preparedVery prepared

012345678910

Perceived competency:

 Not competent tohandle a similar scenario on a patient even with supervision*

 Competent to handle a similar scenario on a patient with supervision

 Competent to handle a similar scenario on a patient independently

 Competent to teach others about this scenario

* If student not competent to perform procedure please refer for remedial simulation training

Key Teaching Points/Critical Actions to discuss in debriefing:

In neonatal codes establishment of airway is the primary concern. The airway must be secured and adequate ventilation ensured prior to proceeding to chest compressions or medications. Without an adequate airway and adequate ventilation chest compressions and medications are unlikely to be improve the infant’s status.

Suggested time length for modules: Total time: 20-30 minutes.

1-2 minutes for history

5 – 7 minutes scenario

15 minutes feedback session on performance

Brief Didactic:

Exposure to hypoxia in both term and preterm infants results in initial hyperpnea followed quickly by ventilatory depression and possible apnea. This hypoxemic respiratory depression seen in early postnatal life likely represents a remnant adaptation to life in utero. A ventilatory response to hypoxia in utero would be counterproductive, because oxygen is supplied via the umbilical vein and an increase in respiratory muscular activity would only deplete 02 stores without increasing 02 supply. Hypoxic depression, on the other hand, would serve to decrease fetal movements, thus conserving 02 stores, and also decrease energy utilization at the cellular level. If this ventilatory depression is allowed to go unchecked the hypoxemia will eventually lead to cardiac ischemia and bradycardia.

Events in early postnatal life that may result in hypoxemic ventilatory depression include obstruction of the nares, as can occur accidentally during breast feeding. This is often the case when babies ‘turn blue’ during an early breast feeding attempt. Additionally, a malpositioned airway with pharyngeal obstruction can also result in impeded ventilation and in hypoxemic ventilatory depression. This is most common in newly born infants due to the weakness of the pharyngeal and neck musculature and lasck of head control.

In the vast majority of cases simple stimulation will resolve the hypoxemic ventilatory depression. However, in rare cases of prolonged hypoxia more aggressive interventions may be needed, including PPV via BVM or intubation. In cases of significant myocardial ischemia medications such as epinephrine may be required.

Procedure review:

Bag-valve mask ventilation

Correct connections of air tubing

(Taken from Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed)

Correct mask fitCorrect mask positioning

(Taken from Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed)

(Taken from Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed)

Providing BVM with proper respiratory rate

Endotracheal; Intubation:

(Taken from Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed)

Positioning of infant Intubation landmarks

(Taken from Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed)

Intubation procedure

Supporting Literature and Suggested Readings:

Neubauer, J. A., et al. Modulation of respiration during brain hypoxia. Journal of Applied Physiology. 68(2): 441-451

Kattwinkle, J., Ed. (2005) Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 5th Ed.AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association.

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Version1, 4/11/2008