Background: Ventilation during neonatal resuscitation is typically initiated with a face mask, but may be ineffective due to leak or obstruction.
Objective: To compare leak using three methods of mask hold.
Methods: Medical and nursing staff regularly involved in neonatal resuscitation used the three holds (two-point, two-handed, spider) on a manikin in a random order to apply positive pressure ventilation (PPV) at standard settings each for 1 min while mask leak was recorded.
Results: Participants (n=53) varied in experience (1-23 years) and hand size. Combined median (IQR) leak was 14 (2-46)% and was not different among the holds.
Conclusions: There was no difference in the leak measured using the three different mask holds.
Keywords: Neonatology; Respiratory.