Different dimensions: Addressing challenges with neonates

Christelle Letourmy, principal international marketing manager – BU obstetrics neonatology enteral, from specialist single-use medical devices group Vygon, explains why neonatology requires specialised staff, procedures and devices.

Who is Vygon and what is its place in neonatology?

Since 1962, Vygon has been a supplier of single-use medical devices which are dedicated to helping clinicians deliver optimal outcomes for their patients. Vygon offers a wide range of products in a number of clinical specialties, including neonatology.

Just 30 years ago, it was rare for a 27- or 28-week infant to survive and dedicated medical devices didn’t really exist. This is why Vygon decided to look for solutions and adapted products within this field.

Today, newborn care still lies at the heart of Vygon’s activities. Vygon is constantly looking for innovation for these vulnerable patients and developing and supplying bespoke neonatal medical devices for enteral feeding, respiratory care and vascular access.

Why do neonatal patients need dedicated medical devices ?

A neonatal patient may be a baby born during the fifth month of pregnancy with a weight as low as 500 grams. They are often hypersensitive, difficult to feed, and difficult to calm. The objective of healthcare workers is to help neonates develop outside of the womb without inducing any physical or mental damage. Medical devices must therefore be adapted to their tiny morphology and specific physiological features.

Please explain an example of how Vygon addressed the morphology challenge in neonates.

Preterm babies often suffer Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS), a breathing disorder resulting from surfactant deficiency and underdeveloped lungs. A significant part of RDS treatment is surfactant administration. However, the existing method for surfactant administration requires the insertion of an undedicated thin tube through the vocal cords with Magill forceps, a large bulky device that is difficult to manipulate in the tiny infant’s mouth and could injure the mucosa.

Vygon co-invented with Dr Kribs from the University Hospital of Cologne (Uniklinik Köln, Germany) a thin and highly manoeuvrable catheter for surfactant administration. This new device, called Surfcath, avoids the use of the bulky Magill forceps and helps to speed up the surfactant procedure, thus the patient care. The device addresses the morphology constraints of the premature infants and also the clinicians’ need.

Please explain an example of how Vygon addressed the physiology challenge in neonates.

Due to the physiology of the premature patients, delivering the right drug dose is critically important for the venous access as well as for the digestive tract. Underdosing can result in a lack of efficacy, and overdosing can result in adverse effects.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shared data showing that more than 80 different oral medications are administrated in volumes less than 2ml and 1,250 of these doses are prepared every day, representing 48% of their daily administrated oral doses.

The challenge here is to be able to propose a safe enteral feeding system that ensures a high dosage accuracy during drug administration. Vygon developed the Nutrisafe2 system in 2005, especially for neonates. This system aims to ensure accuracy and avoids any risk of misconnection with the vascular access.

Conclusion

Vygon continues to develop innovative single-use medical devices in a number of clinical specialties that protect and save lives, particularly in the field of neonatology. Its devices aim to offer healthcare professionals the best possible chance to treat and care for vulnerable neonatology patients in the most secure conditions - protecting hypersensitive babies that need help with specialist respiratory care, vascular access and enteral feeding.