The BCPAP Score: Five Questions to Assess the Effectiveness of a Bubble CPAP Circuit

Stephen C John; Eric O Cheng; Sunil P John

doi:10.1093/tropej/fmaa012

The BCPAP Score: Five Questions to Assess the Effectiveness of a Bubble CPAP Circuit

J Trop Pediatr. 2020 Oct 1;66(5):542-548. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmaa012.

Authors

Stephen C John¹, Eric O Cheng², Sunil P John³

Affiliations

¹ Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor MI 48109, USA.
² Respiratory Therapists Without Borders, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA.

PMID: 32170956
DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmaa012

Abstract

Respiratory illnesses are a leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Bubble CPAP is a simple and effective treatment for infants in respiratory distress. Across resource-limited settings, various bubble CPAP setups have been used with widely varying results. Based on fundamental fluid dynamics principles and clinical experience, the BCPAP score has been developed to gauge effectiveness of bubble CPAP delivery in different settings. Five questions addressing Bubbles, Circuit, Prongs, Airway and Pressure allow clinicians to rapidly determine whether they are delivering effective bubble CPAP. This article describes how to calculate a BCPAP score and explains the rationale behind the BCPAP score.

Keywords: critical care; global health; infant; newborn; ventilation.

MeSH terms

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / methods*
Critical Care / methods*
Dyspnea
Female
Global Health
Humans
Infant
Infant Mortality
Infant, Newborn
Male
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / therapy*
Treatment Outcome
Ventilation