Applied Forces During Neonatal Face Mask Ventilation With Different Face-mask Air Cushion Volumes

Positive pressure ventilation (PPV) is the most important intervention in neonatal resuscitation. During PPV, it is important to hold the face-mask with care, as applying excessive pressure could cause injury to the infant, while insufficient pressure could be a contributor of mask leak and reduced effective ventilation. Application of positive pressure to face structures may trigger a vagally mediated reflex via the trigeminal nerve that innervates the skin of the face leading to apnoea and a decrease in heart rate (TCR, trigeminal-cardiac reflex).

In neonatal manikins, ventilation with a partially or fully inflated face mask does not seem to result in differences in mask leak. The force exerted by providers to improve mask seal might result in pressure lesions and in the elicitation of the trigeminal-cardiac reflex. However, information about the applied forces is unknown.