Resident intubation attempts in the neonatal intensive care unit: Assessing trends in pediatric resident training

Abstract

Objective

Pediatric residents are currently having fewer opportunities for procedures than in years past. The objective of this study was to assess changes in the number of neonatal intubation attempts performed by University of California, San Diego (UCSD) pediatric residents from 2007 to 2022.

Study Design

Retrospective review of medical records and database review of neonatal endotracheal intubations over a 15-year period for the number of intubation attempts performed by pediatric residents at the UCSD NICUs in La Jolla and Hillcrest.

Results

In the past 15 years, the number of intubation attempts by residents decreased from 48.8% to 0% at this university training program. The decrease in resident intubation attempts was analyzed using linear regression and found to be statistically significant (R 0.983, 95% CI −4.503, −3.594, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Neonatal endotracheal intubation opportunities have significantly declined over a 15-year period for pediatric residents at University of California, San Diego. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to ensure procedural competency during residency, particularly for residents pursuing critical care specialties.