Newborn manikin study shows that physicians often fail to detect correct lung compliance when using a self‐inflating bag

Aim Recognising changes in lung compliance can help clinicians to adjust initial inflations during resuscitation at birth. We examined whether physicians sensed low and normal compliance with a self‐inflating bag before and after an educational intervention that used a manikin connected to a newborn lung simulator. Methods We asked 43 physicians with neonatal duties to perform two low compliance ventilation attempts and two normal‐compliance ventilation attempts in a randomised order at baseline and after the educational intervention, with 34 taking part in a retest three months later. Results The physicians correctly recognised low and normal compliance in 71% and 66% of the ventilations at baseline, 80% and 66% of the ventilations after the intervention and 74% and 81% at retest. Correct recognition of normal compliance improved from baseline to retest (p = 0.04). Ventilations in low‐ vs normal‐compliance settings resulted in lower tidal volumes (4.4 vs 23.0 mL, p < 0.001), lower ventilation rates (42 vs 51, p < 0.001) and higher peak inflating pressure (35.2 vs 31.4 cmH 2 O, p < 0.001). Conclusion Around one in four physicians failed to recognise correct compliance levels when using a self‐inflating bag and showed limited improvement after an educational intervention. Ventilations in a low‐compliance setting resulted in suboptimal ventilation.