The use of the VTC device represents a substantial improvement on the current practice for weighing ventilated infants, particularly in the extreme preterm infants where an over- or underestimated weight can have important clinical implications for treatment. A large-scale clinical trial to validate these findings is needed.
Background: Accurate weight measurement of ventilated babies facilitates optimum care. Incubator scales may be used to weigh ventilated babies, rather than risk destabilisation by disconnection. In a survey of tertiary unit neonatologists, 49% believe incubator scales to be accurate for trend weights, 38% believe them to be accurate for individual weights.
Background: Accurate weight measurement facilitates optimum care of the preterm infant, but can be problematic. Disconnection from the oscillator to weigh on standalone scales risks destabilising sick infants, whilst incubator scales are inaccurate when manikins are oscillated (see manikin study). We developed an adjustable device, to use in conjunction with incubator scales, to eliminate this problem.
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