Home-made continuous positive airways pressure device may reduce mortality in neonates with respiratory distress in low-resource setting.

Objective: To study the effectiveness of locally assembled low-cost version for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) delivery.

Patients: Babies with respiratory distress from two contiguous periods, one with CPAP therapy and the other without, were compared for following parameters: birth weight, gestational age, severity of respiratory distress, as assessed by Silverman-Anderson retraction score (SARS), maximum SARS, days taken for score to become 0, duration of oxygen therapy, hospital stay and the outcome.

Results: The profile of subjects was comparable in two groups. Severity of respiratory distress (SARS) was significantly higher in post-CPAP group. Time taken for SARS to become 0 and number of deaths were significantly lower, and the duration of oxygen administration and hospital stay were significantly higher in post-CPAP group. The cost of an individual disposable CPAP unit was ∼Rs 160 (USD 3).

Conclusion: A low-cost and locally assembled CPAP delivery system may reduce neonatal mortality among babies with respiratory distress.