“It's only me being nosey”

Adopting a tool to avoid nasal/septal breakdown with Nasal CPAP.

Purpose:

Maintaining good skin integrity once Nasal CPAP has been implemented,

especially in the premature infant population.

Description:

Every ICN nurse is familiar with a patient who has a misshapen nose, let alone with skin breakdown. It's extremely challenging to ensure optimal positioning, thereby keeping prongs in place without exerting pressure on the nasal septum or “remodeling” the nose.

Solution:

Our unit over the last 2 years has been working with Soft silicone based products, essentially marketed as wound dressings. Due to their non-adhesive properties and their ease of removal they are particularly beneficial in our patient population. We can custom cut, make our own

templates for each patient. When used consistently and correctly, along with certain policy changes, we have greatly improved our skin integrity in our Neonates at Duke.