Nursing Care of Premature Infants

A birth occurring between 20.0 and 36.6 weeks of gestation.

A common complication of prematurity, affecting lung function.

An eye problem linked to prematurity, potentially leading to vision loss.

An abnormal connection between blood vessels near the heart, often seen in premature babies.

Engaging the patient to understand and actively participate in their care.

Abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina, potentially causing scarring. Risk increases with earlier prematurity.

Difficulty breathing in premature babies due to underdeveloped lungs & insufficient surfactant.

Sucking-in of the chest, indicating labored breathing.

Rapid heart rate (over 160 bpm) in infants, a sign of stress or respiratory issues.

Low blood oxygen levels, a common issue in premature babies.

Evaluating a baby's breathing, including signs like retractions and breath sounds.

A substance that keeps the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs open, crucial for breathing.

A clear airway that allows for unhindered breathing

Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to excess bilirubin in the blood.

Bilirubin that hasn't been processed by the liver.

Normal jaundice in newborns, usually due to immature liver function or breastfeeding.

Jaundice in newborns caused by underlying health conditions like ABO incompatibility or infections, requiring medical attention.

Brain damage caused by high levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream.

A condition where the mother's blood type (O) doesn't match the baby's blood type (A or B), causing the mother's antibodies to attack the baby's red blood cells.

A condition where the mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive, causing the mother's antibodies to attack the baby's red blood cells.

A group of conditions where red blood cells are destroyed prematurely, commonly caused by ABO or RH incompatibility.

Jaundice is a condition where the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow due to an excess of bilirubin in the blood.

Management includes monitoring bilirubin levels with tests, providing phototherapy, encouraging frequent feedings, and possibly an exchange transfusion.

Kernicterus is a serious brain damage caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. It's irreversible and can lead to developmental delays.

Phototherapy uses light to break down bilirubin in the blood, reducing its levels and preventing complications like Kernicterus.

Bilirubin, a yellow pigment, is normally bound to albumin and transported to the liver for processing. When albumin binding sites are full, unconjugated bilirubin crosses the blood-brain barrier, causing toxicity.

A group of problems that occur in a baby whose mother used drugs during pregnancy. Symptoms include tremors, irritability, poor feeding, and seizures.

A condition that occurs in babies whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. It can cause physical and mental problems.

These can include tremors, irritability, poor feeding, seizures, and sleep problems.

A set of methods to soothe a fussy baby. They include skin-to-skin contact, swaddling, sucking, shushing, side-lying, and swinging.

Exposure to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco during pregnancy can harm the baby. This can lead to premature birth, low birth weight, developmental problems, and more.

A tool used to assess the severity of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in newborns.

A mother who carries a bacteria called Group B Streptococcus which can be harmful to babies.

Mothers with Type I diabetes have to carefully manage their blood sugar levels during pregnancy to ensure the baby's health.

A serious bowel condition in babies, causing inflammation and tissue death. It can be fatal in 10-30% of cases.

Abnormal vital signs, abdominal distension, discoloration, feeding intolerance, lethargy, apnea, bradycardia, blood in stool, temperature instability, abdominal tenderness, visible bowel loop.

Soft tissue injuries, scleral and retinal hemorrhage, skull fracture, shoulder dislocation, clavicle fracture, brachial plexus injuries, facial paralysis, caput succedaneum/cephalhematoma, intracranial hemorrhage.

Cephalopelvic disproportion, maternal age under 16 or over 35, primigravida, preterm or post-term labor, prolonged or precipitous labor, oligohydramnios, vacuum extraction, forceps-assisted delivery.

A mismatch between the baby's head size and the mother's pelvic opening, making vaginal delivery difficult.

Damage to the nerves in the shoulder and arm, often caused by pressure during birth.

Weakness or inability to move facial muscles, sometimes caused by pressure during birth.

A soft swelling on the scalp, caused by pressure during birth.

Premature infants often face respiratory distress (trouble breathing), retinopathy of prematurity (eye issues), patent ductus arteriosus (heart problem), intraventricular hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) and necrotizing enterocolitis (bowel inflammation).

The ability of the lungs to function properly after birth. It's assessed by the L/S ratio (Lecithin/Sphingomyelin ratio).

Encourage frequent pumping by the mother, as well as breast milk supplementation with formula in some cases.

A serious bowel condition in preemies, causing inflammation and tissue death. It can be fatal.

The most serious form of spina bifida, requiring surgical repair. It involves a protrusion of the spinal cord and meninges through an opening in the vertebrae.

A cause of jaundice where the body produces too much bilirubin, often due to hemolytic diseases (e.g., ABO incompatibility, Rh incompatibility) or polycythemia.

A cause of jaundice where the liver fails to remove bilirubin from the blood effectively, often due to prematurity, breastfeeding, or metabolic disorders.

A condition where red blood cells are destroyed prematurely, resulting in increased bilirubin production. Can be caused by ABO or Rh incompatibility.

A cause of jaundice where the baby's liver is immature and unable to process bilirubin efficiently.

A treatment for jaundice where blue light is used to break down bilirubin in the blood.

A procedure used to replace the baby's blood with donor blood in severe cases of jaundice.

A baby born after 42 weeks of gestation. They are at a higher risk for complications like meconium aspiration and hypoglycemia.

When the baby inhales meconium (first stool) before or during birth, leading to breathing difficulties and potential lung damage.

Low blood sugar levels in a newborn, often caused by issues like post-term birth, prematurity, or infections.

A severe infection that develops in the first few days of life, often caused by bacteria transmitted before or during birth.

A severe infection that develops in the first few weeks of life, often acquired from the environment or healthcare providers.

A bacteria commonly found in the vagina and rectum of pregnant women, which can cause serious infections in newborns.

A common virus that can cause serious infections in newborns, often transmitted during pregnancy or birth.

Measures to prevent and manage infections in newborns, including hand hygiene, isolation precautions, and prompt treatment.

Fever or hypothermia, jaundice, increased work of breathing, apnea, tachycardia, hypotension, decreased perfusion, lethargy/irritability, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension, petechiae and rashes.

Minimize stimulation and environmental stimuli for infants with NAS. Cluster care, swaddling, rest during feedings, less stimulation, gavage feedings can help.

A 'quiet zone' is a calm and soothing environment for an infant, often to minimize external stimulation and help them develop their sensory modulation.

Astute assessment of withdrawal signs, minimize stimulation, cluster care (less stimulation), swaddling, provide for rest during feedings, assess feedings, gavage if needed, daily weights, monitor v.s.,

Careful and observant evaluation of withdrawal signs in a newborn, using a scoring tool to determine the severity of NAS.

Assess maternal and newborn history for risk factors, obtain cultures, administer antibiotics/antivirals as ordered, administer feedings, parental nutrition, and IV fluids as ordered, educate parents, breastfeeding except in HIV.

Early identification of risk factors and implementing preventive measures such as handwashing, breastfeeding, and vaccination to prevent neonatal infections.

The Finnigan Scoring Tool is used to assess the severity of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in newborns. It helps determine the level of care needed based on withdrawal symptoms.

The 6 'S's' are techniques to soothe a fussy baby: Skin to Skin, Swaddling, Sucking, Shushing, Side-Lying, Swinging.

Newborns may show tremors, hypertonia (increased muscle tone), poor feeding, irritability, and sleep problems due to maternal substance use.

A pregnant woman who smokes can lead to various complications for the baby such as premature birth, low birth weight, abruption, and increased risk of SIDS.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition that occurs in babies whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. It can cause physical and mental problems throughout life.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a group of problems that occur in a baby whose mother used drugs during pregnancy. Symptoms include tremors, irritability, poor feeding, and seizures.

A mother with Type I diabetes needs to carefully manage her blood sugar levels during pregnancy to prevent complications for the baby such as low birth weight, prematurity, or birth defects.