Neonates Flashcards
When is the newborn baby check completed
Completed within the first 72 hours of life
Usually between 6-24 hours
Repeated by the GP at 6-8 weeks
What is the purpose of the newborn baby check
It is designed to recognise serious congenital abnormalities
Particularly developmental dysplasia of the hip, congenital heart disease, congenital cataracts and cryptorchidism.
Also alleviates parental concerns and promotes good health
What is considered a term baby
Term is anything between 37 and 42 week
Due date is 40 weeks
What is the earliest viabilty for a foetus
Around 23 weeks
What is the normal RR and breathing pattern for a neonate
RR 40-60
Periodic breathing, they breath fast and then slow
What is considered tachypnoea in a neonate
Breathing consistently over 60 bpm
How is CPAP used in neonates
CPAP keeps the lungs from collapsing
Baby still has to breath out against the pressure but this stops a complete alveolar collapse
Grunting in a neonate can be a sign of what
Respiratory distress
Hypoglycaemia
Sepsis
Cold
What is considered an apnoea in a neonate
Cessation of breathing for more than 20 seconds
Why should you avoid ventilating neonates
It can cause barotrauma to the lungs - leads to chest problems in later life
Can cause a pneumothorax
How does respiratory distress appear on a CXR
Lung fields are hazy - ground glass appearance
Due to collapsed alveoli - don’t have air in them so they appear white on CXR
How do you manage RDS
Anyone below 29 weeks is intubated and given prophylactic surfactant
The artificial surfactant comes from pigs lungs and is administered directly into the lungs via ET tube
How are chest drains inserted in babies
Put a needle into the cavity and then pass a wire into the space
The catheter can then be passed over the wire and the wire removed.
What is chronic lung disease/ bronchopulmonary dysplasia
A consequence of RDS
Diagnosed if the child requires O2 beyond 36 weeks corrected gestation and has CXR changes
How can you prevent bronchiolitis in vulnerable neonates
metapneumovirus on top of RSV
Give a monoclonal antibody (IgG) to RSV to children who are going home on oxygen due to CLD
Get monthly injections for first 2 years of life to vulnerable babies
Why are C-section babies more prone to transient tachypnoea of the newborn
Babies should reabsorb fluid through the stress of labour and then the first breath causes more absorption
C-section babies are more prone to TTN as they haven’t gone through labour
Neonates are obligate nasal breathers - true or false
True
When do babies develop the suck refelx
At 32 weeks
Therefore babies born before this will not be able to feed properly and require parenteral nutrition
How do you progress feeding in preterm babies
Babies born before 32 weeks will not have a developed suck reflex
The will need parenteral nutrition
Then progress to NG followed by oral feeds
Give them a dummy while NG feeding so they associate sucking with a feed
Why can you not give oral tetracycline to a neonate
Causes yellowing of the teeth in children
How do you manage neonatal acne
It should go away on its own
What causes neonatal acne
Caused by mum’s hormones
More common in boys
What causes physiological jaundice of the newborn
Caused by the breakdown of red blood cells
Baby’s have a high RBC count as they need to optimise O2 transport
Once born and breathing they don’t need as many so lots break down
Also need to switch to adult haemoglobin so cells with foetal type also need broken down
Jaundice within 24hrs is likely pathological - true or false
True
When does physiological jaundice of the newborn present
At least 24hrs after birth
Any earlier and it is pathological
At which point would you need to investigate ‘physiological jaundice’
If the baby is still jaundiced at 2 weeks old
List potential causes of pathological jaundice in a neonate
Could be cause by a haemolytic reaction - ABO or rhesus incompatibility
What is biliary atresia
A congenital abnormality where there is no link between liver and gut
It causes backflow of bile and liver damage
Causes conjugated jaundice
How do you manage biliary atresia
Requires an operation within 45-60 days to create a path for bile
What signs suggest conjugated jaundice
Pale stools and dark urine
How does phototherapy for neonatal jaundice work
It is just a specific wavelength of blue light, it is not UV
It causes photoisomerization - makes the bilirubin water soluble so that it can be excreted in the urine
Used for both pathological and physiological jaundice
Why must babies be under a heat shield whilst getting phototherapy
They have to be naked to absorb the light but it is important they stay warm too
Babies are bad at preserving body heat
How do you determine if neonatal jaundice needs treatment
There is a bili chart which determines if the SBR requires treatment
It is corrected for gestation
What is the risk of high bilirubin levels in babies
Risk of kernicterus
This is when unconjugated bilirubin crosses the BBB and deposits in the brain - can cause encephalopathy and a type of CP with movement disorder
What causes the waiter’s tip sign in babies
Called Erb’s palsy
Caused by brachial plexus injury (C5/6), often due to shoulder dystocia
How do you manage Erb’s palsy in children
Most get better often with physio
How do you treat necrotising enterocolitis
Stop feeding the baby and give triple antibiotic therapy
How does necrotising enterocolitis appear on AXR
Has a soap bubble appearance
Presents with free gas, gas in the bowel wall and dilated bowel loops
May lead to perforation
What causes necrotising enterocolitis
Ischemic bowel - leads to widespread necrosis in the small and large intestine
May be due to premature bowel, bacterial overgrowth and poor blood supply
It is a problem of prematurity
Babies temperature on admission is directly related to their mortality and morbidity - true or false
True
The colder they are on admission, the sicker they are
What is involved in the APGAR score
Activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, respiration
Scale is subjective
Max score of 10 (8 and above is good though)
Recorded at 1 min 5 min and 10 min
How do you prevent heat loss in premature babies
Prem babies are put in plastic bags to prevent heat loss by evaporation
It also protects their immature skin
Should also put a hat on them
GCS is not applicable in neonates - true or false
True
They cannot follow commands or
speak so the scores don’t apply
Tend to just use AVPU
What would you look for in the D and E sections of a ABCDE exam of a newborn
Pupil size, reactivity and fundi if possible
Posture (decorticate or decerebrate which indicate brain damage)
Neck stiffness
Fontanelles - bulging indicates raised ICP
Rashes - purpura, petechiae, bruising
Fever
List reversible causes of LOC in children
Hypoxia
Hypoglycaemia
Hypothermia
Hypotension/hypertension
Infection - meningitis/encephalitis Ingestion Trauma - time critical (TC) Metabolic conditions - may get very sick with simple illnesses Raised ICP - TC Stroke - TC