Development of Infant Born Prematurely Flashcards
What is the age of viability?
23-24 weeks
Children born <37 weeks gestational age with VLVW are 30% more likely to develop what 6 disorders?
CP, ID, RDS, BPD, ROP, and HI
What is there a growing concern over in children who were born premature? Who is at greater risk? (Males or females)
high percentage of children who demonstrate minor impairments in cognitive, social, and motor functioning once they enter kindergarten
Prevalence of perceptual motor problems reported as high as 48%
*Males are at greater risk
Environmental factors
What are the recommended tests for children who were born premature?
- Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC)
- Visual Motor Test (VMI)
What is considered full term, postterm, and preterm?
- Full term: 37-41 weeks
- Postterm: >42 weeks
- Preterm: <37 weeks
How do you determine gestational age, post conceptual age, and corrected/adjusted age?
- Gestational age (GA): age of infant based on mom’s last menstrual period
- Post conceptual age: gestational age plus the number of weeks since the infant’s birth
Corrected age/adjusted age/post term corrected age: gestational age plus weeks since birth minus 40 weeks
What are the weights in grams for extremely low birth weights, very low birthweight, and low birth weight?
- Extremely low birth weight (ELBW): <1000g (2.2 lbs)
- Very low birth weight (VLBW): <1501g (3.3 lbs)
- Low birth weight (LBW): 1501-2500g (3.3-5.5 lbs)
What do these abbreviations mean?
AGA
SGA
LGA
IUGR
- AGA: appropriate for gestational age
- SGA: small for gestational age (<10th percentile)
- LGA: large for gestational age (>90th percentile)
- IUGR: intrauterine growth retardation
Determined via size of the infant at birth (based on length, head circumference and weight)
What are characteristics of a premature infant?
- Hypotonia
-
Decreased ratio of type I to type II
- Results in muscular fatigue (especially respiratory muscles)
-
Incomplete ossification of bones, ligamentous laxity
- Result in greater effects of positioning and gravity
- More reactive to sensory stimuli
-
Response to pain
- Term and preterm babies respond differently to pain
- Preterm babies are less robust in expressing pain through crying or moving
What are the NICU levels?
Level 1: Well baby nursery
Level II: Special Care Nursery
- Babies born <32 weeks and weighing <1500g
- Mechanical ventilation for a brief period
Level III: NICU
- Sustained life support
- Full range of medical specialties
- Advanced imaging
Level IV: Regional NICU
- Surgery for complex conditions
What is the APGAR?
- Scores given at 1, 5, and 10 minutes after birth
- A: activity, postural tone
- P: pulse
- G: grimace response to stimulation
- A: appearance/color
- R: respiratory rate
What are vital sign norms?
- HR: 120-180 BPM
- RR: 30-60 breaths / min
- Blood pressure
- Systolic: 76-87 mmHg
- Diastolic: 45-68 mmHg
What are the reasons a full term infant might be in the NICU? (6)
- Substance abuse
- Genetic disorders
- Congenital abnormalities
- Sepsis
- Feeding difficulties
- Breathing difficulties
What should PT’s in the NICU understand?
- Third trimester development
- Medical technology associated with care
- Medical conditions associated with prematurity
- Do no harm
- Interning and shadowing strongly recommended
What is the role of a PT in the NICU?
- Addresses functional and structural integrity of body parts and systems
- Promotes the development of postural and motor activities
- Promotes appropriate interaction between the infant and the environment
- Promotes interaction with the family, NICU staff, and consultants
What does a NICU PT eval include?
- Minimize excessive handling and overstimulation
- Cluster care
- Minimizes handling and stress
- Consider the state of the infant
- Brazelton States of Arousal (six states defined)
- During an assessment, observe
- Range of behavior
- Variety of behavior
- Duration of state
- Includes: observation, consultation, conversation, coordination
- Careful review of history
Tests and measures specific to premature infants (4)
- Assessment of Preterm Infant Behavior
- Neurologic Assessment of the Preterm and Full Term Infant
- Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program
- Test of Infant Motor Performance
PT Intervention: Taping
- Allows easy inspection of the skin and vascular integrity
- Risk for intolerance → careful monitoring required
- Assess integumentary status and perform a patch test to determine any sensitivity to the tape
- Provide the nursing staff and family careful instructions in terms of signs of intolerance and how to safely remove the tape
Who is taping not recommended for in the NICU?
Not recommended for an infant <30-32 weeks gestation
PT Interventions: Splinting
what is the indication for splinting?
What are the 4 major risks?
- Indication: infants in the NICU with documented or potential alignment and joint motion limitation concerns
- Risks for:
- Fracture
- Dislocation
- Joint effusion
- Skin breakdown
- Traction on joints and nerves can be a concern because of the weight of the splinting material
- Instructions and pictures are posted bedside
- Post d/c monitoring
- Casting may be done by orthopedics
NICU Transition to Home
when is d/c considered?
- D/C plan
- Considered when an infant begins to demonstrate more consistent physiologic stability
- Long term health care f/up
- The families require time to learn the infant’s care
- Families should be included in the d/c process as soon as possible
What does communicating goals to family and medical team accomplish regarding NICU to home transfer?
- Promote success of the infant and family at home
- Prevent delays in access to health care and to establish links to resources for health and development in the community
Transition to Home: Suggestions for the environment
- Suggestions on environment
- Positioning
- Appropriate sensory experiences
- Developmental activities
- Referrals should be made to community resources such as early intervention
Positioning and the NICU baby regarding transition to home
- The therapist can develop a plan to wean the infant of positioning supports and transition to back sleeping as necessary
- Positioning supports can be for play and activities while awake
- Infants should be positioned on their back for sleeping
- Sleeping environment should be free of soft or loose bedding materials and stuffed toys or animals
- Blanket rolls may be positioned behind the infant’s shoulder and along the thighs while he or she is seated
Neonatal follow up
- The AAP recommends follow up services for these developmental concerns, as well as for organized post discharge tracking and to provide information regarding outcomes for this population
- Neonatal Follow Up Programs monitor the outcomes for these high risk neonates and determine the effects of NICU interventions on outcomes
- Track information
list what these abbreviations mean:
CP
RDS
BPD
ROP
NEC
ID
HI
DCD
- CP: cerebral palsy
- RDS: respiratory distress syndrome
- BPD: bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- ROP: retinopathy of prematurity
- NEC: necrotizing enterocolitis
- ID: intellectual deficit
- HI: hearing impairment
- DCD: developmental coordination disorder
list the senses in order of development
touch
movement
smell and taste
hearing
vision
vestibular system
- Mature in the full term newborn
- Modifications with development due to synapses and dendrites
- Vestibular stimulation is known to enhance behavioral states
- Vestibular stimuli in the womb vs. the NICU
describe olfactory and gustatory development
- Olfactory Development
- Begins at 5 weeks gestation
- Ability to smell at 18 weeks
- Gustatory Development
- Taste buds begin to mature at 13 weeks
The fetus experiences a variety of tastes/smells in utero vs. in the NICU