Vapotherm with chronic BPD

[Tiki_Torch]

My computer won't let me access the vapotherm website (ancient computer).

To those of you who use vapotherm, is it only for babies who would normally be put on CPAP or can it be used for chronic bronchopulmonary dysplasia patients as well?

Thanks!

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

We just recently got Vapotherm. One of our first babies on it was a severe chronic that had been on the vent most of his 120+ day stay in the unit. He did very well though he did have steroids started the day he went on Vapotherm. He stayed on Vapotherm for probably close to month then weaned to regular NC and went home on that, even nippled, didn't need a G-button. He has also been our smallest baby to survive to discharge at just over 340 grams (IUGR).

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

We've also used it on some chronics as a last-ditch effort to keep them extubated and avoid needing a trach. It actually helped every time! After a month or two they'd be weaned to a regular high-flow nasal cannula and then a low-flow cannula after that.

While we've never sent a baby home on Vapotherm, I have hard of cases where pediatric patients use the system at home. It's supposed to be very helpful in keeping the airway open in kids with broncho-, laryngio-, and/or tracheal malasia. Some of these kids just use it at night, as an alternative to bi-pap or c-pap. Others are on it 24/7. I've heard several pediatric ENT docs and pulmonologists singing its praises lately, so yeah I think it definitely has a place in pediatric healthcare besides the typical preemie cases.