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Chinese infants saved through neonatal resuscitation program
July 1, 2005
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| Cynthia Weiss, R.N., NICU, a neonatal resuscitation program trainer, joined the Heart to Heart International program this year. |
Laura Basile, M.D., a neonatology fellow in the Children's Hospital, traveled to the Sichuan Province of China, including the Tibetan Autonomous Regions, for the past two years to train Chinese physicians and nurses in the neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) for Heart to Heart International. Cynthia Weiss, R.N., a neonatal intensive care nurse who is also a regional NRP trainer, joined the trip this year.
This “First Breath” program began in 2000 with the goal of establishing 22 NRP training centers within the province. So far, 15 centers have been established. Approximately 3,500 birth attendants in more than 700 hospitals throughout the Sichuan Province were trained. Many of the Chinese health care providers trained are now teachers themselves. It was established that 1,000 infant's lives per year were saved through this program.
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| Dr. Laura Basile, neonatology fellow, holds a baby while in China. Basile trained Chinese physicians and nurses in neonatal resuscitation. |
“It's humbling when you're considered the expert, but you must apply what you know in a completely different environment,” said Basile. “Challenges include maximizing what is possible given the sparse facilities, equipment and medicines. Hypoxia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in this area. The basics of ‘warm, dry and stimulate’ are crucial and can make a difference. In the Tibetan areas, most infants are born at home. Training birth attendants in these areas can have a huge impact on improving birth outcomes. The physicians and nurses we worked with are incredibly intelligent and master the basics of NRP quickly.
“We have formed lifelong friendships bonded by a common desire to save and improve the quality of infants' lives. The experience is also an important reminder of how incredibly fortunate we are to have access to level III neonatal intensive care units that offer maximal medical therapies.”
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