Certified Extremely Low Birth Weight (C-ELBW) Practice Exam

On nasal CPAP, how frequently should skin integrity and nasal care be assessed?

Every 12 hours Every 2-4 hours Every 24 hours Only once per shift

Correct Answer:

Every 2-4 hours

Explanation:

Regular skin checks and nasal care are essential with nasal CPAP to prevent pressure-related skin injury. The interface sits against delicate facial skin and nasal tissue, and continuous positive pressure can cause redness, skin breakdown, or nasal trauma if issues aren’t caught early. Checking every 2 to 4 hours provides timely detection of redness, irritation, or pressure points, allowing prompt adjustments to the fit, padding, or care routine. This frequency supports maintaining skin integrity while the patient remains on CPAP, whereas checking only every 12 or 24 hours or once per shift risks missing early signs. In practice, clinicians may tailor the exact timing to the patient’s risk and unit protocol, but the standard approach is q2-4h to safeguard skin health.

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