ScientiaCME Revenge of the nRDS: taking the fight to neonatal respiratory distress syndrome with optimized CPAP, lung ultrasound, and less invasive surfactant care

Details

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS) remains a leading cause of respiratory failure and morbidity among preterm infants worldwide, despite major advances in antenatal steroids, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and surfactant therapy. Contemporary guidelines emphasize early noninvasive respiratory support from birth, selective surfactant rescue once CPAP begins to fail, and structured, protocolized care across gestational age strata. Yet practice-pattern studies across high- and middle-income settings show wide variation in initial respiratory support, surfactant thresholds, and use of minimally invasive techniques, with extremely preterm and late preterm infants often receiving care that diverges from guideline-concordant pathways. These inconsistencies increase cumulative ventilator exposure and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other complications, underscoring a persistent implementation gap between best evidence and routine NICU care.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Describe current guideline-based and evidence-based strategies for early identification and management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS) across gestational age subgroups.
• Discuss how LUS and clinical predictors (including FiO₂ thresholds and CPAP-failure tools) identify infants at high risk for CPAP failure and timely surfactant need.
• Recall surfactant administration methods (LISA/MIST, INSURE, traditional intubation) and dosing strategies, and select minimally invasive, evidence-based approaches tailored to extremely preterm and late preterm infants.
• Recall best practices in interdisciplinary nRDS care bundle and unit-level protocol development that to improve short- and long-term respiratory outcomes in preterm infant subgroups.

Target Audience

The following HCPs: neonatologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in neonatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS).

Additional credit info

ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: ScientiaCME designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABP MOC Recognition Statement: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

ABP MOC Credit Type: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment

Physicians: For maintenance of certification (MOC) points, you must enter your board certification ID # and birth date correctly.  It is the learner’s responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive MOC points for this activity. By providing this data, you acknowledge that it will be shared with ACCME and the applicable certifying board. Please note: Not all activities on this site provide MOC points. If this activity does not specify that it provides MOC points in this section, then it does NOT provide MOC points. This activity provides MOC points only for ABP.

Pharmacists

ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hours (0.1 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit. Proof of participation will be posted to your NABP CPE profile within 4 to 6 weeks to participants who have successfully completed the post-test. Participants must participate in the entire presentation and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing pharmacy education credit. ACPE #0574-0000-26-027-H01-P. This is an Application (A) type activity. 

Pharmacists: You must enter your NABP # and birth date correctly so that proof of participation can be posted to your NABP CPE profile. It is the learner’s responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive CPE credit for this activity.

Nurses: The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ assigned by organizations accredited by the ACCME as satisfying Category 1 CME for National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) national certification maintenance. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) states that continuing education providers accredited by the ACCME may provide acceptable, accredited Advanced Practice Provider content. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.