Neonatology Flashcards
What is the definition of pre-term?
<37 weeks
What is the defintion of extremely pre-term?
<28 weeks
What is the defintion of low birthweight?
<2500g
What is very low birthweight defined as?
<1500g
What is extremely low birthweight defined as?
<1000g
What is the definition of small for gestational age?
Birthweight below the 10th percentile for the gestational age
What is the definition of intra-uterine growth restriction?
A condition in which an unborn baby is smaller than it should be because it is not growing at a normal rate inside the womb
What factors can cause a child to be born small?
- Maternal - Pre-eclampsia, Poor nutrition
- Foetal - Chromosomal, Infection (CMV)
- Placental - Placental Abruption
- Other - Twin prgenancy
- Normal
What are the prognostic outcomes of extreme prematurity?
- 1/3 die
- 1/3 mild disability
- 1/3 moderate to severe diability
- 1/6 entirely normal
When does the heart begin to develop?
3rd week
When does the heart begin beating?
4th week
When is the critical period of heart development?
20 weeks
What BP would a neonate have on day 1?
70/40
What is the normal resp. rate in a newborn child?
40-60/min
What is the normal heart rate for a newborn?
120-160 bpm
How do new born babies generate heat?
Metabolic heat production - brown fat - uncoupled ATP cycle
What are the modes of heat loss in a newborn?
- Convection
- Conduction
- Evaporation
- Radiation
What is the definition of stillbirth?
Foetus born with no signs of life >/= 24 weeks pregnancy
What is the definition of perinatal?
Pertaining to the period immediately before and after birth
What is the defition of large for gestational age?
>90th centile for gestational age
What is the definition of term pregnancy?
37-41 weeks
What is the definition of post-term?
>/= 42 weeks pregnancy
How soon after delivery does the first breath normally occur?
6 seconds
How long does it take to establish normal breathing in a newborn?
30 seconds post delivery
When does physiological jaundice disappear in a term inffant?
7-10 days
How long can physiological jaundice last in pre-term infants?
Up to 21 days
What percentage of term babies can develop jaundice?
60%
What percentage of pre-term babies can develop jaundice?
80%
How much weight can children lose in the first few days of life?
up to 10%
When do children pass urine for the first time?
Within 24 hours
At what age do children pass meconium?
24-48 hours
Why do children experience diureses in the first few days of life?
- Slower GFR
- Reduced Na absorption
- Decreased ability to concentrate or dilute urine
What are important features to look at in routine examination of a newborn?
- Birthweight, gestational age
- Head circumference
- Fontanelles
- Face
- Plethora/pale
- Jaundice
- Eyes - red reflex
- Palate
- Breathing
- Heart
- Abdomen
- Femoral pulses
- Genitalia/anus
- Muscle tone
- Back and spine
- Primitive reflexes
- Hips
Whithin what time period should a newboarn have had a routine examination?
72 hours
What is neonatal plethora?
Ruby red colouring - Caused by polycytaemia
What would a tense fontanelle potentiallu indicate?
- Raised ICP
- Late meningitis
What is the following and how significant is it?
Milia - white pimples on the nose and cheeks, from retention of keratin and sebaceous material in the pilosebaceous follicles
Resolves spontaneously
What is the following?
How significant is it?
Miliaria - Obstruction of immature sweat glands
Relatively insignificant
What is the following and how significant is it?
Erythema toxicum - common rash that appears at 2-3 days of age, consisting of white pinpoint papules at the centre of eryhtematous base. The lesions are concentrated on the trunk
Resolves spontaneously
What is the following and how significant is it?
Sebaceous naevus - hamartomatous lesion
Risk of malignancy later in life
What is the following and how significant is it?
Strawberry naevus (cavernous haemangioma) - appears in first month of life. Increases in size from 3-15 months, then regresses. Some lesions can interefere with eyesight/airway depending on location - give topical/oral propranalol
Significant - Ulceration or haemorrhage may occur
What is the following and how significant is it?
Mixed haemangiona - benign vascular tumors of childhood, characterized by endothelial cell proliferation
What is the following and how significant is it?
Mongolian Blue spot - black/blue macular discolouration at the base of the spineand on the buttocks; occasionally legs and other parts of the body. Usually, but not invariably, in Afro-Carribean and asian infants. Fade slowly over first few years
Not significant - resolves spontaneously
What is the following and how significant is it?
Port Wine Stains (naevus flammeus) - mark caused by vascular malformation of the capillaries in the dermis. Present from birth and usually grows in the infant
Significant - associated with Sturge-Weber syndrome and Klippel-Trenauny syndrome
What is the following and how significant is it?
Stork marks (capillary haemangioma) - pink macules on upper eyelid, midforehead and nape of the neck arising from distention of dermal capillaries. Fade after a year
Not significant - spontaneously resolve
What is the following and how significant is it?
Giant melanocytic naevus - Large area of pigmentation. is Defined by one or more large, darkly pigmented and sometimes hairy patches. Caused by genetic mutation
Significant - can develop into melanoma
What is the following and how significant is it?
Cafe-au-lait spot - flat, pigmented birthmarks caused by a collection of pigment-producing melanocytes in the epidermis of the skin.
Significant - may be associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 and McCune-Albright syndrome
What could the following be?
- Cephalohaematoma
- Caput succedaneum
What is caput succedaneum?
Serosanguinous, subcutaneous, extraperiosteal fluid collection with poorly defined margins caused by the pressure of the presenting part of the scalp against the dilating cervix during delivery.
Crosses suture lines
What is cephalohaematoma?
Collection of blood between the skull bone and the periosteum. Gradually develops and is margined along the sutures
How would you distinguish between caput succedaneum and cephalohaematoma?
- Caput crosses suture lives, cephalohaematoma does not
- Caput present from birth
- Caput pits, cephalo does not
What are short term complications of pre-term delivery?
- (RDS) respiratory Distress Syndrome
- Pneumothorax - Ventilation management and complications
- Biochemical disorders e.g. acidosis,
- Temperature control, Nutrition and fluid management,
- Necrotising enteric colitis (NEC)
- Brain haemorrhage (IVH)
- Circulatory issues (e.g. PDA)
- Jaundice
What is respiratory distress syndrome?
Deficiency of surfactant due to prematurity -> alveolar surface tension lowers -> widespread alveolar collapse and inadequate gas exchange -> Hypoxia -> decreased CO, HTN, Acidosis and renal failure
The more pre-term, the higher the risk
When is RDS most common?
Children born <28 weeks
What are the most common features to see in a child with RDS?
At delivery or within 4 hours of birth:
- Increased respiratory effort - intercostal/subcostal recession
- Exhaustion
- Tachypnoea
- Expiratory grunting
- Cyanosis - if severe
What would be your differential in newborn with tachypnoea, chest recession and grunting?
- RDS
- Meconium aspiration
- Transient tachypnoea of the newborn - excess fluid, resolves in 24 hours
- Congeital pneumonia - group B strep
- Teacho-oesophageal fistula
- Congenital lung abnormality
What does the following demonstrate?
Respiratory distress syndrome
How do you prevent RDS in a pre-term baby?
Antenatal steroids - dexamethasone
How would you manage a newborn with RDS?
Delay cord clamping for as long as possible
- Raised ambient oxygen
- Monitor bloods
- Surfactant therapy
- CPAP/high-flow nasal cannula
- Invasive mechanical ventilation - if = 26 weeks; extubate as soon as possible
If, when treating a newborn for RDS, there is and deterioration, what should you check for?
- Displaced ET tube
- Obstruction
- Pneumothorax
- Equipment failure
What is bronchopulmonary dysplasia?
Chronic lung disease due to damage caused by mechanical ventilation (barotrauma) and long-term use of oxygen (toxicity) - often a complication of treatment of RDS in pre-term infants
How does bronchopulmonary dysplasia present?
- Hypoxia
- Difficulty weaning from ventilator
What tests can be done to investigate for BPD?
- CXR - hyperinflation, rounded radiolucent areas
- Histology - necrotising bronchiolitis with alveolar fibrosis
how would you manage a child with BPD?
- Patience
- Nutrition and growth
- Steroids
How would you treat a newborn who was experiencing episodes of apnoea/desaturation?
- Can treat with caffeine
- CPAP
What is meconium aspiration?
Aspiration of meconium when in-utero. 8-20% of babies pass meconium before birth. Increases in prevalence with increasing gestational age.
Results in mechanical obstruction and chemical irritation
What is MSAF?
Meconium-stained amniotic fluid
What can cause passing of meconium in the uterus?
- Foetal maturity
- Foetal distress
What problems can aspiration of meconium cause?
- Obstruction
- Surfactant dysfunction
- Pulmonary vasoconstriction
- Infection
- Chemical pneumonitis
What is this?
Meconium - first stool passed composed of materials ingested during the time the infant spends in the uterus: intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water.
What is this and how significantis it?
Subconjunctival haemorrhages
Not signficant - reflect strain of birth - may need to distinguish from NAI
What is this and how significant is it?
Acrocyanosis/Peripheral cyanosis of hands and feet - due to immaturity of peripheral vasculature
Not significant - normal within 1st day of life
What is an intraventricular haemorrhage?
Bleeding into the fluid-filled areas (ventricles) inside the brain. The condition occurs most often in babies that are born early (25% of those under 1500g).
Premature infants lack mature vasculature in the subependymal germinal matrix. This, coupled with trauma of birth or RD, can cause haemorrhage.
What are signs of IVH?
- Seizures
- Bulging fontanelles
- Cerebral irritability
If you suspected IVH, how would you investigate?
- MRI
What complications are associated with IVH?
- Decreased IQ
- Cerebral palsy
- Hydrocephalus
How could you prevent IVH?
Antenatal steroids