Intubation is one of the most common, and potentially dangerous, procedures in neonatal care. As many as 1-6% of newborns will undergo intubation at birth, and many more undergo the procedure in the NICU. Intubation is a highly specialized skill, requiring practice and experience in order to gain proficiency. First attempt success rates in pediatric residents are around 20-30%, and even in the well-trained hands of neonatal fellows, NNPs and neonatologists first attempt success rates are only 50-70%. Adverse events occur in approximately 20% of intubation encounters, and severe oxygen desaturations occur in up to 50% of encounters.

 

The National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates (NEAR4NEOS) Program was formed in 2014 with a goal to improve neonatal intubation safety. The NEAR4NEOS Program has 3 pillars.

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• Research - we perform ground breaking research to identify modifiable risk factors in neonatal intubation and test new methods and modalities of intubating neonates.  

• Education - we educate the healthcare community on the risks of neonatal intubation, and develop ways to train providers to perform the procedure more safely. 

• Database - the keystone of our work is the NEAR4NEOS database. Using the database we prospectively collect data on intubations in the delivery room and NICU of our participating research sites. We use this data to improve neonatal care. 

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