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BACKGROUND: Despite its established safety, efficacy, and relative simplicity, CPAP treatment is not widely available for newborns and infants in low- and middle-income settings. A novel bubble CPAP system was designed to address the gaps in quality and accessibility of existing CPAP systems by providing blended, humidified, and pressurized gases without the need for electricity, compressed air, or manual power. This was the first study that tested the performance of the system with a simulated patient model. METHODS: In a spontaneously breathing 3-dimensional printed nasal airway model of a preterm neonate, CPAP performance was assessed based on delivered pressure, oxygen level, and humidity at different settings. RESULTS: Preliminary device performance characteristics were within 5% among 3 separate devices. Performance testing showed accurate control of CPAP and oxygen concentration at all settings with the bubble CPAP system. Lung model pressure and oxygen concentration were shown to stay within ±0.5 cm H2O and ±4% of full scale of the device settings, respectively, with relative humidity > 80%. CONCLUSIONS: Performance testing of the bubble CPAP system demonstrated accurate control of CPAP and oxygen concentration with humidity levels suitable for premature newborns on noninvasive support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Disparities in PPH‐associated survival between high and low‐/middle‐income countries reflect an imperative for low‐resource countries to improve strategies for rapid diagnosis and treatment. A review of current PPH diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and access to care in low‐income countries has been used to understand, extract, and report the challenges that public health systems face in trying to solve the marked global disparity in PPH outcomes. Improvement in PPH survival begins with holistic strengthening of each step along the continuum of care in health systems and should include performance feedback measures and quality‐of‐care research. Synopsis: Improvement in postpartum hemorrhage survival requires holistic strengthening of each step along the continuum of care and should include performance feedback measures and quality‐of‐care research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]