Endotracheal intubation performance at a large obstetric hospital delivery room, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Introduction: Intrapartum-related events account for nearly 700,000 neonatal deaths globally yearly. Endotracheal intubation is a cornerstone in preventing many of these deaths, but it is a difficult skill to acquire. Previous studies have described intubation performances in high-income countries, but data from low- and middle-income countries are lacking. We aimed to assess the performance of delivery room intubation in a lower middle-income country. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Phu San Hanoi Hospital, Vietnam, from September 2020 to January 2021. Video cameras were positioned above the resuscitation tables and data were extracted using adopted software (NeoTapAS). All neonates requiring positive pressure ventilation were included. Our main variables of interest were time to first intubation attempt, first intubation attempt duration, and successful first intubation attempt. Results: 18,107 neonates were born during the five months. Of these, 75 (0.4%) received positive pressure ventilation, and 36 (0.2%) required endotracheal intubation of whom 24 were captured on video. The median time to the first intubation attempt was 252 seconds (range 91-771 seconds), the median first attempt duration was 49 seconds (range 10-105 seconds), and the first attempt success rate was 75%. Conclusion: Incidences of positive pressure ventilation and endotracheal intubation were low in comparison to global estimates. Three out of four intubations were successful at the first attempt and the procedural duration was often longer than recommended. Future studies should focus on how to achieve and maintain intubation skills and could include considering alternative devices for airway management at birth.