BAPM Neonatal Airway Safety Standard

This document sets out standards for safely managing the neonatal airway in neonatal services in the UK. The document focuses on unit capability and aims to ensure that a safe service is always available.

The purpose of this document is to

• Set out standards for ensuring safe airway management for babies in Maternity and Neonatal Services in the UK.
• Outline the minimum expected departmental capabilities for airway management in different settings, recognising the current challenges in maintaining universal intubation competency in all units.
• Provide guidance on optimising airway management.
• Provide supporting training and assessment materials as well as signposting other suitable training resources.
• Suggest areas for research and innovation to improve safe neonatal airway management.

This framework complements the existing BAPM Framework for Practise on Managing the Difficult Airway in the Neonate.

Resources

• BAPM Airway Safety Standard main document

Supporting Materials for this Capability Framework

Training Materials

• BAPM Airway Skills Training and Assessment Tools (Appendix A)
• Tips for videolaryngoscopy (Appendix B)
• A short guide to use of waveform capnography (Appendix C)

Practical Support Materials

• Poster: Airway Equipment and Initial Respiratory Support Settings (Appendix D)
• Intubation Checklist (Appendix E)
• LISA Checklist (Appendix F)

Assessment Materials

Appendix G, H and I are Excel files. 

*Please download and save these files in order to view and use the drop-down function within them.*

• Intubation/ LISA Log (Appendix G)
• Individual Airway Competency Assessment form (Appendix H)
• Neonatal Unit Staff Airway Assessment Log (Appendix I)