Examination of the Newborn Flashcards
What maternal medical information is needed before you start the exam?
- Maternal age
- Previous pregnancies, complications, and any medical problems experienced by those children
- Maternal disease and medication taken during pregnancy
- Maternal occupation and social background
- Maternal drug or alcohol abuse, socially high-risk circumstances (e.g., severe learning difficulties, maternal mental health problems, domestic violence, child protection issues, unsatisfactory home conditions)
- Family history of medical problems
- Results of pregnancy screening tests (e.g., blood tests including maternal syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B surface antigen, prenatal ultrasound scans)
Results of special diagnostic procedures (e.g., noninvasive prenatal testing, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling)
Problems during labor and delivery (e.g., prolonged rupture of membranes, maternal fever)
What infant medical records are needed before you start the exam?
- Infant’s condition at birth and if resuscitation was required
- Infant’s birth weight
- Infant’s gender
- Gestational age and if there is any uncertainty about it
- Any concerns about the infant from nursing staff or parents (e.g., feeding concerns)
Introduction to the parents?
- Introduce yourself to the mother (Preferably, to both parents)
- Explain the purpose of the examination
- Ask for feeding problems or any other worries
- Conduct hand hygiene before starting the examination
- Ensure warm, private area with good lighting
Order of the examination?
head to foot
What is used to measure the infants growth parameters?
- Weight for age z-scores
- Head circumference z-scores
How do you determine gestational age?
measured from the first day of your last menstrual period to the current date - typically in weeks
Note: pregnancies last 38 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are considered premature
General observation - appearance, posture and movements?
- Central cyanosis: on the tongue
- Acrocyanosis: Peripheral cyanosis on hands and feet (no clinical significance)
- Blue discoloration of presenting part (face/breech/nuchal cord)
Why do polycythemic infants sometimes appear cyanotic?
Polycythemic infants (central hematocrit >65%) sometimes appear cyanotic because of the high concentration of reduced hemoglobin in their blood, even though they are adequately oxygenated
What does blue discolouration with petichiae indicate?
the umbilical cord was wrapped around the infant’s neck
- this can be distinguished from central cyanosis because the tongue remains pink.
Features of Down syndrome in neonates?
- Hypotonia
- Flat occiput
- Bilateral single palmar creases
- Pronounced sandal gap (an abnormal spacing between the first two toes)
Note: Characteristic facies difficult in newborns
Inspection of the skin?
- Cracked, peeling skin: common in post-term infants
- Plethoric (very pink or flushed): Polycythemia
- Pale: Anemia or shock
- Jaundice: Within the first 24 hours of birth (hemolytic/congenital infections)
Note: Inspect the skin for color, texture, rashes, and birthmarks
Name benign, self-limited lesions?
- neonatal urticaria (erythma toxicum)
- neonatal pustular melanosis
- milia: white cysts
- epstein pearls
- epulis
- ranula
- mangolian spots
What is Neonatal urticaria (erythema toxicum)?
- Usually starts on the second or third day of life
- White pinpoint papules at the center of an erythematous base
- Eosinophils are present on microscopy
- Migrate to different sites and resolves around the fifth day
What is Neonatal pustular melanosis?
- Present from birth
- Contains neutrophils
- Readily removed by wiping
- May be mistaken for staphylococcal infection
What are milia (white cysts)?
- May be on nose and cheeks
- Retention of keratin and sebaceous material in the pilaceous follicles
What are epstein pearls?
White pearls along the midline of the palate
What is epulis?
cysts of the gums
What is ranula?
Mucus-retention cysts on the floor of the mouth
What are mongolian spots?
- Present in over 80% of black and Asians
- 10% of causian infants
- present at birth
- fade over time and treatment is not needed
What is the vernix caseosa?
- White to gray, cheesy, greasy layer of sebum, keratin, and hair
- Protected the fetus in utero
Inspection of the head?
- Note the shape of the head
- Palpate fontanelles and suture lines
- Anterior and posterior
Note: After delivery, the sagittal suture is often separated and the coronal sutures are overriding. The posterior fontanelle is often open but small.
What does a tense fontanelle indicate?
A tense fontanelle can also be a sign of meningitis; therefore, a lumbar puncture should also be considered if concerns are raised by the history or physical examination
What can we find on the head of a newborn?
- caput succedeneum
- cephalohematoma
- subgleal hemorrhage
- craniosynostosis
Caput succedaneum?
- Diffuse edematous swelling of the scalp
- Extravasation of blood or serum above the periosteum
- Caused by venous congestion due to pressure on the infant’s head
- Swelling crosses midline and not limited by the suture lines
- Resolves within a few days
Features of prolonged labour in a newborn?
petechiae, purpura, and ecchymoses, as well as molding of the head and overriding sutures, may be prominent features
Cephalohematoma?
- Caused by rupture of the emissary or diploic veins of the skull
- Subperiosteal hemorrhage
- Almost always unilateral
- Most often over the parietal bone
- Sharply demarcated
- Restricted by suture lines
- Overlying scalp is not discolored
When do you see the swelling of a cephaohematoma?
- The swelling may not become apparent until several hours to days after birth
- As the hematoma ages, it develops a calcified rim and is gradually completely overlaid with bone
Note: severe hemorrhage resulting in anemia and hyperbilirubinemia are rare complications for which antibiotics, blood transfusions, and phototherapy may be required
Subgaleal hemorrhage?
- Rupture of emissary veins
- Bleeding into the loose connective tissue of the subgaleal (subaponeurotic) space
- Swelling crosses suture lines; can extend from the brow line up to temporal fascia behind the ears.
Consequences of subgaleal hemorrhage?
Bleeding can be extensive, leading to:
1. severe anemia
2. disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
3. hypovolemic shock
- the aponeurotic space may accommodate up to 260 mL of blood, approaching the circulating blood volume of a neonate, which is approximately 80 mL/kg
Craniosynostosis?
- Premature fusion of cranial sutures
- Results in asymmetric skull
- Palpable ridge along the suture line
Note: Surgery may be required nonurgently to avoid neurologic impairment and to improve cosmetic outcome