When neonatologist Randy Grubbs, MD, first rigged up a model to
show colleagues at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (HMFW)
in Texas what bubble CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)
was all about, the initial response to his outdated, low-tech
system was anything but positive. Listening as Grubbs extolled
the benefits of the bubble CPAP technology he had used during
his fellowship in neonatology, NICU staff nurse Vicki Hilburn,
BSN, RN-C, was pretty skeptical. "When Dr. Grubbs rigged up this
antiquated-looking system for us to understand what bubble CPAP
was all about, we all laughed," she acknowledged. Rather than
being offended by the initial response, Grubbs took the feedback
in stride. "Bubble CPAP is a simple system without a lot of
bells and whistles, and that simplicity makes it look like
you're going back 40 years in medicine," he noted. "Sometimes,
however, simpler is better. I took a small group of clinicians
with me to the NICU at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia
University Medical C