In response to the rapid increase in admissions of neonates in respiratory distress and limited CPAP machines, in 2020 we implemented the use of disposable bubble CPAP, made by the staff as needed. They have been crucial for our ability to continue to admit these vulnerable babies who are not able to breath on their own. This past year we had just 8 CPAP machines in our NICU while the need was often more than double that.
Dr. Andrew Wu of the combined internal medicine and pediatrics program at the University of Minnesota, under the guidance of Professor Tina Slusher, developed the new innovative CPAP technique alongside the Chenla staff with Dr. Luch Sreyleak leading the effort on the ground.
In collaboration, the team is working on a non-inferiority study to help assess its effectiveness compared to more costly machine technology. If proven effective, the modified bubble CPAP will have a profound significance on how limited monetary resources in places like eastern Cambodia can be most effectively used.
