NICU Staff Researches MIST Therapy

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staff at Miami Valley Hospital, named below, has been busy translating evidence to best practices to improve outcomes for their very low birthweight babies. To reduce risks for chronic lung disease (CLD), minimally invasive surfactant therapy, or MIST, was implemented. Evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that infants receiving MIST experienced lower rates of CLD compared to infants not receiving MIST therapy. Furthermore, MIST therapy offered a path to provide surfactant post-delivery while reducing the number of intubations and mechanical ventilation days. Adoption of this evidence-based intervention required collaboration of the entire interdisciplinary team (physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists and pharmacists); staff and family education; simulation training; continuous process evaluation; and seeking feedback from every member of the team during implementation. The result was significant reductions in CLD in infants less than 28 weeks gestational age. 

Tracy Morrison, BSN,MSQA, RN; Brenda Burkholder, MSN, CNP; Prakruti Jambula, MD; Tammy Samiec, MD; Ed Spitzmiller, DO; Karen Phipps, MSN, CNP; Ann Davis, RRT; Danielle Boyer, RRT; Lauren Lewis, RRT; Suzanne Stacey, RRT; Julie Scanlan, BSN, MSN, RN; Donna Fisher, BSN, RN; Nicole Stubbs (family advisor); Lisa LaRocca (family advisor); Paula Bey, RRT; Melissa Burleson, RRT; Anne Garcia, RRT; Cindy Johnson Staniford, RRT; Erin Jones, RRT; Teresa Kenney, RRT; John Louis, RRT; TA Saul, RRT; Alka Parmar, RRT; Pam Raynor, RRT; Adrienne Russell, RRT; Judy Weiss, RRT; Bridgette Rillo, BSN; Penny Blair, RRT.

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