Ashish Kc

Implementing a simplified neonatal resuscitation protocol-helping babies breathe at birth (HBB) - at a tertiary level hospital in Nepal for an increased perinatal survival

BackgroundReducing neonatal death has been an emerging challenge in low and middle income countries in the past decade. The development of the low cost interventions and their effective delivery are needed to reduce deaths from birth asphyxia. This study will assess the impact of a simplified neonatal resuscitation protocol provided by Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) at a tertiary hospital in Nepal. Perinatal outcomes and performance of skilled birth attendants on management of intrapartum-related neonatal hypoxia will be the main measurements.Methods/DesignThe study will be carried out at a tertiary level maternity hospital in Nepal. A prospective cohort-study will include a six-month baseline a six month intervention period and a three-month post intervention period. A quality improvement process cycle will introduce the neonatal resuscitation protocol. A surveillance system, including CCD cameras and pulse oximeters, will be set up to evaluate the intervention.DiscussionAlong with a technique to improve health workers performance on the protocol, the study will generate evidence on the research gap on the effectiveness of the simplified neonatal resuscitation protocol on intrapartum outcome and early neonatal survival. This will generate a global interest and inform policymaking in relation to delivery care in all income settings.Trial registrationISRCTN97846009

Poor adherence to neonatal resuscitation guidelines exposed; an observational study using camera surveillance at a tertiary hospital in Nepal

BackgroundEach year an estimated 10 million newborns require assistance to initiate breathing, and about 900 000 die due to intrapartum-related complications. Further research is required in several areas concerning neonatal resuscitation, particularly in settings with limited resources where the highest proportion of intrapartum-related deaths occur. The aim of this study is to use CCD-camera recordings to evaluate resuscitation routines at a tertiary hospital in Nepal.MethodsCCD-cameras recorded the resuscitations taking place and CCD-observational record forms were completed for each case. The resuscitation routines were then assessed and compared with existing guidelines. To evaluate the reliability of the observational form, 50 films were randomly selected and two independent observers completed two sets of forms for each case. The results were then cross-compared.ResultsDuring the study period 1827 newborns were taken to the resuscitation table, and more than half of them (53.3%) were noted as not crying prior to resuscitation.Suction was used in almost 90% of newborns brought to the resuscitation table, whereas bag-and-mask ventilation was only used in less than 10%. The chance to receive ventilation with bag-and-mask for a newborn not crying when brought to the resuscitation table was higher for boys (AdjOR 1.44), low birth weight babies (AdjOR 1.68) and babies that were delivered by caesarean section (AdjOR 1.64).The reliability of the observational form varied considerably amongst the different variables analyzed, but was high for all variables concerning the use of bag-and-mask ventilation and the variable whether suction was used or not, all matching in over 91% of the forms.ConclusionsCCD camera technique was a feasible method to assess resuscitation practices in this low resource hospital setting. In most aspects, the staff did not adhere to guidelines regarding neonatal resuscitation. The use of bag-and-mask ventilation was inadequate, and suction was given excessively in terms of protocol. Further studies exploring the underlying causes behind the lack of adherence to the neonatal resuscitation guidelines should be conducted.

Resuscitation practices of low and normal birth weight infants in Nepal: an observational study using video camera recordings

ABSTRACT Background: The global burden of stillbirth and neonatal deaths remains a challenge in low-income countries. Training in neonatal resuscitation can reduce intrapartum stillbirth and early neonatal mortality. Previous results demonstrate that infants who previously would have been registered as stillbirths are successfully resuscitated after such training, suggesting that there is a process of selection for resuscitation that needs to be explored. Objective: To compare neonatal resuscitation of low birth weight and normal birth weight infants born at a facility in a low-income setting. Methods: Motion-triggered video cameras were installed above the resuscitation tables at a maternity health facility during an intervention study (ISRCTN97846009) employing the Helping Babies Breathe resuscitation protocol in Kathmandu, Nepal. Recordings were analysed, noting crying, stimulation, ventilation, suctioning and oxygen administration during resuscitation. Birth weight, Apgar scores and sex of the infant were retrieved from matched hospital registers. The results were analysed by chi-square and logistic regression. Results: A total of 2253 resuscitation cases were recorded. Low birth weight infants in need of resuscitation had higher odds of receiving ventilation (aOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.24–2.42) and lower odds of receiving suctioning (aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34–0.82) after adjustment for the Helping Babies Breathe intervention, sex of the infant and place of resuscitation within the facility. The rates of stimulation and administration of oxygen were the same in both groups. Conclusions: Low birth weight was associated with more ventilation and less suctioning during neonatal resuscitation in a low-income setting. As ventilation is the most important intervention when the infant does not initiate breathing after birth, low birth weight was not a predictor for the decision to withhold resuscitation. Frequent routine use of suctioning of the lower airways continues to be a problem in the studied context, even after the introduction of the Helping Babies Breathe protocol.

Increased immunization coverage addresses the equity gap in Nepal

Abstract Objective To compare immunization coverage and equity distribution of coverage between 2001 and 2014 in Nepal. Methods We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in 2001, 2006 and 2011 together with data from the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. We calculated the proportion, in mean percentage, of children who had received bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, three doses of polio vaccine, three doses of diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT) vaccine and measles vaccine. To measure inequities between wealth quintiles, we calculated the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) for all surveys. Findings From 2001 to 2014, the proportion of children who received all vaccines at the age of 12 months increased from 68.8% (95% confidence interval, CI: 67.5–70.1) to 82.4% (95% CI: 80.7–84.0). While coverage of BCG, DPT and measles immunization statistically increased during the study period, the proportion of children who received the third dose of polio vaccine decreased from 93.3% (95% CI: 92.7–93.9) to 88.1% (95% CI: 86.8–89.3). The poorest wealth quintile showed the greatest improvement in immunization coverage, from 58% to 77.9%, while the wealthiest quintile only improved from 84.8% to 86.0%. The SII for children who received all vaccines improved from 0.070 (95% CI: 0.061–0.078) to 0.026 (95% CI: 0.013–0.039) and RII improved from 1.13 to 1.03. Conclusion The improvement in immunization coverage between 2001 and 2014 in Nepal can mainly be attributed to the interventions targeting the disadvantaged populations.

Scaling up quality improvement intervention for perinatal care in Nepal (NePeriQIP); study protocol of a cluster randomised trial.

Introduction Nepal Perinatal Quality Improvement Project (NePeriQIP) intends to scale up a quality improvement (QI) intervention for perinatal care according to WHO/National guidelines in hospitals of Nepal using the existing health system structures. The intervention builds on previous research on the implementation of Helping Babies Breathe-quality improvement cycle in a tertiary healthcare setting in Nepal. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of this scaled-up intervention on perinatal health outcomes. Methods/design Cluster-randomised controlled trial using a stepped wedged design with 3 months delay between wedges will be conducted in 12 public hospitals with a total annual delivery rate of 60 000. Each wedge will consist of 3 hospitals. Impact will be evaluated on intrapartum-related mortality (primary outcome), overall neonatal mortality and morbidity and health worker’s performance on neonatal care (secondary outcomes). A process evaluation and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed to understand the functionality of the intervention and to further guide health system investments will also be performed. Discussion In contexts where resources are limited, there is a need to find scalable and sustainable implementation strategies for improved care delivery. The proposed study will add to the scarce evidence base on how to scale up interventions within existing health systems. If successful, the NePeriQIP model can provide a replicable solution in similar settings where support and investment from the health system is poor, and national governments have made a global pledge to reduce perinatal mortality. Trial registration number ISRCTN30829654.

Automatic analysis of neonatal video data to evaluate resuscitation prformance

Approximately 3% of births require neonatal resuscitation, which has a direct impact on the immediate survival of these infants. This report proposes an automatic video analysis method for neonatal resuscitation performance evaluation, which helps improve the quality of this procedure. More specifically, we design a deep learning based action model which incorporates motion and spatial information in order to classify neonatal resuscitation actions in videos. First, we use a Convolutional Neural Network to select regions containing infants and only keep those that are motion salient. Second, we extract deep spatial-temporal features to train a linear SVM classifier. Finally, we propose a pair-wise model to ensure consistent classification in consecutive frames. We evaluate the proposed method on a dataset consisting of 17 videos and compare the result against the state-of-the-art method for action classification in videos. To our best knowledge, this work is the first to attempt automatic evaluation of neonatal resuscitation videos and identifies several issues that require further work.

Effect of Delayed Cord Clamping of Term Babies on Neurodevelopment at 12 Months: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is associated with an improved iron status at 8 months, a reduction of anemia at 12 months, and an improved development at 4 years. Assessment of the development after DCC has not been performed earlier in a setting with a high prevalence of iron deficiency. Objective: The aim of this paper was to investigate the effects of DCC compared to early cord clamping (ECC) on the development evaluated with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) at 12 months of age. Method: We conducted a randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of DCC (≥180 s) versus ECC (≤60 s) in 540 full-term deliveries. Twelve months after delivery, the parents reported their infant’s development by ASQ. Infants having a score < 1 standard deviation (SD) under the mean score were considered “at risk” of affected neurodevelopment. Results: At 12 months of age, 332 (61.5%) infants were assessed. Fewer children in the DCC group were “at risk” of having affected neurodevelopment measured by the ASQ total score, 21 (7.8%) versus 49 (18.1%) in the ECC group. The relative risk was 0.43 (0.26–0.71). Infants in the DCC group had higher mean total scores (SD), 290.4 (10.4) versus 287.2 (10.1), p = 0.01. Significantly fewer infants in the delayed group were “at risk” and had higher scores in the domains “communication”, “gross motor”, and “personal-social”. Conclusions: DCC after 3 min was associated with an improvement of the overall neurodevelopment assessed at 12 months of age as compared to infants in the group with cord clamping within 1 min.

Persistent inequity in maternal health care utilization in Nepal despite impressive overall gains

ABSTRACT Background: Maternal health care utilization is at the core of global public health provision and an area of focus in the now-concluded Millennium Development Goal agenda. Objective: This study aims to examine trends in maternal health care utilization over the last 15 years in Nepal, focusing on coverage and equity. Methods: This paper used data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 2001, 2006 and 2011 and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2014. Coverage rates were calculated and logistic regression models used to examine inequity. Results: Impressive gains were found in antenatal care (ANC) attendance, which increased from nearly half of women attending (49%) in 2001 to 88% in 2014, and the rate of facility delivery increased from just 7–44%. This development did not, however, influence the equity gap in ANC and skilled attendance at birth, as women from low socioeconomic backgrounds were six times more likely to deliver without skilled assistance than those from high socioeconomic backgrounds (AdjOR 6.38 CI 95% 4.57–8.90) in 2014. Conclusion: These persistent equity gaps call for targeted interventions focusing on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable women in order to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goal of universal health coverage.