Neonatology Flashcards
What are the principles (steps) of neonatal resuscitation?
- Warm the baby
- Calculate APGAR score
- Stimulate breathing (i.e. place baby’s head in neutral position to keep airway open)
- Inflation breaths (2 cycles of 5 inflation breaths lasting 3 sec each)
- Chest compressions (if HR remains below 60 bpm despite resus + inflation breaths then perform chest compressions at 3:1 ratio w/ventilation breaths)
What can prolonged hypoxia increase a risk of in infants?
hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)
What are causes of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
- Maternal shock
- Intrapartum haemorrhage
- Prolapsed cord (copm. of cord during birth)
- Nuchal cord (when cord is wrapped around neck of baby)
Sx of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
If mild:
* Irritability
* slight changes in behaviour
If severe:
* Hypotonia
* Poor responsiveness to stimuli
* Prolonged seizures
* Multi-organ failure - i.e. hypotension, met
Ix for hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
- EEG monitoring
- Multiple MRI brain
Mx of HIE?
- Give oxygen
- Anticonvulsant therapy (control seizures)
- Therapeutic hypothermia
- Sedatives if distressed
What is resp. distress syndrome?
Syndrome that affects premature neonates born before the lungs start producing adequate surfactant which leads to high surface tension within alveoli. This leads to lung collapse and thus inadequate gas exchange.
Mx of respiratory distress syndrome?
Pre-labour:
* Give mothers antenatal steroids (dexamethasone) if preterm labour occurs.
For premature neonates:
* Intubation + ventilation
* Endotracheal surfactant
* CPAP
* If sats low give oxygen
What is necrotising entercolitis?
Life threatening disorder affecting premature neonates where part of bowel becomes necrotic. Death of bowel tissue can lead to bowel perforation which leads to peritonitis and shock.
RF for developing necrotising entercolitis?
- Very premature
- Formula fed babies
- Resp distress + assisted ventilation
- Sepsis
- Congenital heart disease
Sx of necrotising entercolitis?
- Intolerance to feeds
- Vomiting (green bile)
- Generally unwell
- Distended, tender abdomen
- Absent bowel sounds
- Blood in stools
Ix for necrotising entercolitis?
- Bloods - FBC, CRP, capillary blood gas
- GS - abdo xray
What are the xray results for necrotising entercolitis?
- Bowel wall oedema (thickened bowel walls)
- Pneumatosis intestinalis (gas in bowel wall)
- Pneumoperitoneum (free gas in peritoneal cavity + indicates perforation)
- Gas in portal veins
Mx of necrotising entercolitis?
- Nil by mouth w/IV fluids
- Total parenteral nutrition
- Abx to stabalise them
- Surgery - remove dead bowel tissue + may require stoma if significant bowel is removed.
What is gastroschisis?
Congenital defect (hole) in anterior abdominal wall just lateral to umbilical cord (beside belly button)
Mx of gastroschisis?
Newborns should go to surgery as soon as possible after delivery to put intestines back inside abdomen + close up abdo wall
What is meconium?
Inaugural faeces passed by a newborn typically after delivery (has thicker consistency + dark green hue). Sometimes it may be expelled before birth into amniotic fluid (meconium-stained liquor) which can signify foetal distress and hypoxia.
What is meconium aspiration?
Passage of meconium from amniotic fluid into foetal lungs leading to blockage + infl. of airways which results in lung oedema, pul. vasoconstriction and bronchoconstriction.
Sx of meconium aspiration?
- Meconium stained amniotic fluid
- Resp distress
- Foeatal distress
- Asphyxia
- Hypotonia
Ix for meconium aspiration?
CXR - shows aspiration pneumonitis (patchy infiltrates)