Table 1.
Main clinical characteristics and resuscitation interventions at birth of study population
| Cohort 1 (conventional delivery room)a | Cohort 2 (new concept of delivery room)a, b | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of neonates | 56 | 50 | - |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Body birth weight, g | 1114 ± 285 | 1033 ± 315 | 0.066 |
| Gestational age, w | 28 ± 0.3 | 28 ± 0.5 | 0.480 |
| Caesarean section, n (%) | 50 (89) | 46 (92) | 0.746 |
| Twins, n (%) | 14 (25) | 18 (36) | 0.192 |
| Male, n (%) | 29 (52) | 22 (44) | 0.423 |
| Apgar at 1 min | 5 ± 0.2 | 5 ± 0.1 | 0.850 |
| Apgar at 5 min | 7 ± 0.1 | 7 ± 0.2 | 0.430 |
| Prenatal corticosteroids, n (%) | 32 (58) | 22 (44) | 0.146 |
| Surfactant therapy, n (%) | 40 (71) | 42 (84) | 0.123 |
| Indications for preterm delivery | |||
| Spontaneous preterm labour | 40 | 37 | 0.767 |
| Preterm premature rupture of membranes | 8 | 6 | 0.422 |
| Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy | 6 | 5 | 0.904 |
| Intrauterine growth restriction | 2 | 2 | 0.908 |
| Resuscitation interventions at birth | |||
| Oxygen therapy, n (%) | 53 (95) | 45 (90) | 0.471 |
| Positive pressure ventilation with face mask, n (%) | 23 (41) | 25 (50) | 0.357 |
| Intubation, n (%) | 34 (61) | 29 (58) | 0.776 |
| Drug administration, n (%) | 1 (2) | 2 (4) | 0.610 |
| Chest compression, n (%) | 4 (7) | 2 (4) | 0.679 |
| Nasal-CPAP in delivery room | 10 (17.9) | 9 (18.0) | 0.985 |
| Nasal-CPAP without interruption during the first 30’ after birthc | 0 (0.0) | 9 (18) | 0.001 |
aData expressed as mean ± standard deviation, when not specified
bDR directly connected to the NICU according to architectural standards, as described in the text.
cIn the Cohort 1 nasal-CPAP administered by infant-flow system with heated and humidified gas, started in delivery room, was discontinued during transportation from point of delivery to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) located at different floor of the same Hospital. During the transportation to the NICU, neonates in the Cohort 1, were ventilated with nasal-CPAP without infant-flow system, heated and humidified gas