However, in South Africa, babies do not get CPAP or surfactant on a routine basis and when they do, it's much later when the children are already very sick.
"One reason is that CPAP requires intensive nursing, and in some parts of South Africa, nursing shortages preclude the use of CPAP until a baby is very ill," Palmer said. "Another problem is the shortage of mechanical ventilators for those children who have very severe cases of respiratory distress. Many kids who don't recover with the other options cannot get access to mechanical ventilators and many die."
This study will evaluate whether providing early chest wall stabilization with the device will prevent lung collapse, enable these babies to breathe easier on their own and avoid mechanical ventilation.
"We hope this study finds that the chest splint is a simple, inexpensive alternative that can be used in a low intensive care neonatal nursery to help babies," he said.
Palmer is a founding member of the Pediatric Innovation Program, a unique collaboration of Penn State Children's Hospital, Penn State University and industrial partners that focuses on improving the development of technology for infants and children. The program provides a forum for clinicians, engineers, and industry to exchange ideas with the goal of innovating clinically relevant technology for rapid translation into clinical solutions.
"We believe that resources spent on improving health at the start of life are truly resources well spent in the prevention of life-long handicap," Palmer said. "Improvement of the level of care given to our most vulnerable patients will only give those little people a better chance at a long and happy life."
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Contact: Valerie Gliem
vgliem@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
25-Aug-2003