Rigid versus soft catheter for less invasive surfactant administration: A crossover randomized controlled manikin trial

BackgroundWe compared surfactant administration with a rigid versus soft catheter in a manikin simulating an extremely preterm infant. MethodsRandomized controlled crossover (AB/BA) trial. Fifty tertiary hospital consultants and pediatric residents. The primary outcome was the time of device positioning. The secondary outcomes were the success of the first attempt, the number of attempts, and the participant's opinion. ResultsMedian time of device positioning was 19 s (interquartile range [IQR]: 15-25) with rigid catheter and 40 s (IQR: 28-66) with soft catheter (p < 0.0001). Success at first attempt was 92% with rigid catheter and 74% with soft catheter (p = 0.01). Median number of attempts was 1 (IQR: 1-1) with rigid catheter and 1 (IQR: 1-2) with soft catheter (p = 0.009). Participants found the rigid catheter easier to use (p < 0.0001). ConclusionsIn a preterm manikin model, using a rigid catheter for less invasive surfactant administration was quicker and easier to use than a soft catheter.