NICU and Infant Feeding Assessment and Treatment Flashcards
SLPs role in the NICU
- focus on entire role not just heavy focus on dysphagia and feeding
- how is the SLP part of the interdisciplinary team?
- overview of the factors specific to the NICU setting that SLPs should understand
the NICU
ICU for neonates, including premature infants
extremely preterm
born before 25 weeks
very preterm
born 25-32 weeks
moderately preterm
born 32-34 weeks
late preterm
born 34-36 weeks
assessment in the NICU: want to know
- born early? if yes, how many weeks? need to know how that affects the infant (earlier born, higher risk of comorbidities and respiratory complications)
- what development processes occurred outside of the womb that for a typical pregnancy would’ve occurred within the womb
classification by birth weight
if they are bigger, that is typically good for being preterm
extremely low birth weight (ELBW)
less than 1,000 grams
very low birth weight (VLBW)
less than 1,500 grams
low birth weight (LBW)
less than 2,500 grams
small gestational age (SGA)
for their gestational age, less than 10th percentile of their weight
large gestational age (LGA)
for their gestational age, more than 90th percentile of their weight
preterm infants are more at risk for
- motor impairment
- sensory impairment
- cognitive deficits
- behavioral/mental health disorders
NICU-specialized area of practice: NANT and ASHA endorse that NICU is a specialized area of practice that requires knowledge, skills, and training specific to the neonatal population
- embryo, brain, feeding/swallowing, motor development
- know typical patterns for premature neonate versus atypical patterns
- look at the whole baby
- neuroprotection
- parents and the baby are key to effective neonatal therapy
- culture shift
ASHA knowledge and skills for SLPs in the NICU: knowledge required
- normal embryology, perinatal, and postnatal infant development
- understanding of current research in neurobiology, physiology, and genetics as they relate to infant behavior
- atypical infant development which includes theories and research findings, risk factors in prenatal and perinatal development, etiologies, and medical conditions
- family-centered practices including the impact of the NICU experience on family dynamics and function, information about family systems, parent-infant interactions, parent empowerment, and meaningful professional alliances
- team-based processes that involve ethical decision-making, interactions with multiple disciplines, and legal issues
ASHA knowledge and skills for SLPs in the NICU: specialized knowledge is also needed in the following areas
- foundations of developmentally supportive care (e.g. synactive theory, behavioral state organization)
- medical complications affecting infants as well as the medical equipment and procedures used in the NICU
- staffing patterns in the NICU
- ecology of the NICU
- parenting in the NICU
neonatal therapist
OT, PT, or SLP who provides direct patient care and/ore consultative services for the premature and/or medically complex infants in a NICU
neonatal therapy strives to maximize developmental outcomes, support infant mental health, and facilitate family interaction
- this specialized field of therapy therefore contributes to the optimization of each infant’s development at the earliest point in the lifespan
- focus is on neuroprotective care, preventing negative developmental outcome, minimize impact of NICU on development
- normalization, minimization, prevention
SLPs in neonatal therapy
- specialists in infant communication
- crucial in all infant driven interventions
SLPs in neonatal therapy: can be part of the care team during heel sticks/procedures, baths in the NICU serving as the role of the minimizing negative impact and serving as communication specialists
see infant stress cues –> respond to help them cope and provide support and positive interactions to support positive touch/experiences and enhance
SLPs in neonatal therapy: goals of interaction are…
- normalize development
- conserve energy
- facilitate organization
- recognize stressors
- encourage self-consoling
NICU team: primary team
- neonatologistas
- APRN, physician assistant
- nurse
- respiratory therapist
- PT, OT, SLP
- music therapist
- child life specialist
- radiologist technologist
- nutritionist
- social worker
NICU team: special consultants
- otolaryngologists
- audiologists
- pulmonologists
- neurologists
- neonatal surgeons
- cardiologists
- gastroenterologists
- developmental pediatricians
- and much much more…
interprofessional practice (IPP)
- occurs when multiple service providers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive healthcare or educational services by working with individuals and their families, caregivers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings
- set up for success in the NICU but also when discharged, next steps!
neuroprotective care goal of neonatal therapy: definition
strategies capable of preventing neuronal cell death, result of apnea or hypoxia which occurs with increased frequency in the NICU
neuroprotective care goal of neonatal therapy
- interventions used to support the developing brain or to facilitate the brain after a neuronal injury in a way that decreases neuronal cell death and allows it to heal through developing new connections and pathways for functionality
- assists in integration of input in an adaptive, positive manner
neuroprotective care goal of neonatal therapy: family integrated, developmentally supportive care
- healing environment that manages stress and pain
- offers a calm and soothing approach with involvement of the entire family
- improves health outcomes, lengths of stay, and decrease cost associated
protective/preventative vs. reactive intervention
- goal of NICU interventions is protective
- consults before problems arrive vs. problem-based consult
- preventative medicine vs. waiting for a problem to arise
- neuroprotective care purpose of therapy in the NICU
- much of how the infant responds is nonverbal communication and we are experts in that!
- much of what we do is based on counseling
why neuroprotective care?
- most infants admitted to NICU here, look how much brain growth is left!
- end of neuronal migration, 3rd stage of CNS development
- proliferation exceptional neuronal growth, interrupted in NICU
neonatal sensory development: tactile
- 7-18 weeks
- heel sticks, IV
neonatal sensory development: vestibular
- 14-16 weeks
- movement during cares
neonatal sensory development: olfactory gustatory
- 12-14 weeks
- chemicals, emesis
neonatal sensory development: auditory
- 18-35 weeks
- alarms, CPAP oscillatory
neonatal sensory development: visual
- 38 weeks-term
- lights, phototherapy
infant communication, synactive theory of development
how to understand infant’s behavior as communication (infant’s body system is constantly interacting with its environment)
interdependence of systems
- autonomic
- motor
- state
autonomic system: signs and symptoms of stability
- color: pink over the entire body
- respiratory pattern/breathing: regular, 40-60 breaths/minute
-visceral signs: stable digestion with appropriate burping, regular elimination of abdominal wastes
autonomic system: signs and symptoms of stress
- color: pale, red, dusky, or mottled color changes on part or whole body
- respiratory pattern/breathing: uneven intervals, > 60 or < 40 breaths/minute, pauses > or equal to 2 seconds, gasps, yawns, coughs
- visceral signs: regurgitation, hiccups, gagging, excessive drooling, diarrhea, gases
motor system: signs and symptoms of stability
- tone and posture: arms, legs, and body well rounded and softly flexed
- movement: smooth movements of arms, trunk, and face
- self-regulatory behaviors: holding hands to face, mouthing/sucking on hands, adjusting posture
motor system: signs and symptoms of stress
- tone and posture: flat limbs, face, or body, extended limbs or fingers, arching of the neck or back, excessive tucking of body
- movement: movements jerky, frantic flailing movements, repetitive behaviors that interrupt organization and stability
- self-regulatory behaviors: not successful at all
state system: signs and symptoms of stability
- sleep or fully awake is clearly defined
- smooth transition
- appropriate state for the situation
- stable, predictable cycles (e.g. schedule)
- control and not overwhelmed by stimuli
state system: signs and symptoms of stress
- states not easily defined
- rapid changes
- inappropriate of state to time
- unpredictable cycles
- overwhelmed by stimuli
additional stress cues: autonomic signs of stress
- color changes (pallor, flushing/turning red, and cyanosis/turning blue)
- changes in vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure/BP, pulse ox rate)
- visceral (vomiting, gagging, hiccups, passing gas)
- sneezing
- yawning
additional stress cues: motor signs of stress
- generalized hypotonia (limp, decreased resistance to moving of the infant’s extremities)
- frantic flailing movements
- finger splaying (holding fingers spread wide apart)
- hyperextension of extremities (arms or legs extended straight out almost in a locked position)
additional stress cues: state signs of stress
- diffuse sleep states (lots of twitching, grimacing, not resting peacefully)
- glassy-eyed (appears to be “tuning out”)
- gaze aversion (cuts eyes to the side trying not to look at what is in front of them)
- staring (a locked gaze, usually wide-open eyes)
- panicked look
- irritability (hard to console)
additional stress cues: attention/interaction signs of stress
- infant will demonstrate stress signals of the autonomic, motor, and state systems
- inability to integrate with other sensory input (can’t look and face, listen to talking and suck a bottle at the same time)
additional stress cues: self-regulatory behaviors
attempts to deal with stress and regain control
- change in position
- hand-to-mouth
- grasping
- sucking
- visual locking
- hand clasping
in NICU sleep =
growth and development
newborn states and caregiver considerations
- deep/quiet or non-REM sleep
- light/active or REM sleep
- drowsiness
- quiet alert
- active alert
- crying
deep/quiet or non-REM sleep: baby’s behavior
- no movement, only occasional jerks
- eyes closed, no eye movements
- startles with delay, suppresses quickly
- regular breathing
- lowest oxygen consumption
- low resting HR in some term infants
deep/quiet or non-REM sleep: caregiver considerations
- difficult or impossible to arouse
- no interest in feeding at this time
- not receptive to social interaction
light/active or REM sleep: baby’s behavior
- random movements and startles
- eyes closed, rapid eye movements
- irregular respirations
- higher oxygen consumption
light/active or REM sleep: caregiver considerations
- term infants start and finish sleep cycles in active sleep
- preterms react more to stimuli at this time than term infants
- may fuss briefly, and be awakened before truly awake and ready to eat
- lower, more variable O2 saturations
drowsiness: baby’s behavior
- eyes open (dazed) or closed
- respirations more rapid and shallow
- intermittent startless
- slow response to sensory stimulation
- smooth state change after stimulation
drowsiness: caregiver considerations
- may awake further or may return to sleep (if left alone)
- talking quietly to infant may arouse infant to a quiet alert state
quiet alert: baby’s behavior
- eyes open wide, face is bright
- focused attention
- body is quiet with minimal movement
quiet alert: caregiver considerations
- best state for learning because infant focuses all attention on visual, auditory, tactile, or sucking stimuli
- best for interaction with peers
active alert: baby’s behavior
- eyes open and alert
- actively moving extremities
- reactive to external stimuli
- irregular respirations
- may or may not be fussy
active alert: caregiver considerations
- infant has increased sensitivity to internal (hungry, tired) and external (wet, handling, noise) stimuli
- unable to fully attend to caregiver or environment because of increased sensitivity and motor activity
crying: baby’s behavior
- cries, possibly intense
- may be difficult to console
- respirations rapid, shallow, irregular
crying: caregiver considerations
- indicates that individual tolerance limits have been met or exceeded
- not receptive to learning
neonatal integrative developmental care model: 6 lotus flower petals
- partnering with families
- positioning and handling
- safeguarding sleep
- minimizing stress and pain
- protecting skin
- optimizing nutrition
neonatal integrative developmental care model
outlines what NICU care teams focus on not just medical outcomes or feeding
neonatal integrative developmental care model: what are our services aimed to support?
- all tied to reduced negative effects of stay
- neurological protection
- developmental skill development along expected continuum
healing environment
- infants have improved outcomes when environmental stress caused by overstimulation is reduced
- focus on family presence/reunification (positive family experiences)
- limit extraneous sound, light, smell
- single room set up but not isolation
healing environment: cycled lighting
- on day/off night
- eye covers vs. room light
- improved weight gain, shorter stay, increased O2
- decreased ROP, better growth
healing environment: sound reduction
- the sound levels in NICUs range from 7 dB to 120 dB, often exceeding the maximum acceptable level of 45 dB, recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics
- HL increased in premature infants: 2%-10%
- quiet time (lights + noise reduction)
- decrease alarm volumes
- floors to absorb sounds
- isolettes/incubators to filter noise
- rubber wheeled carts
- cluster care
healing environment: smell/taste
- oral colostrum care
- limit procedural smell
- cloth/hearts with smell of parents in isolette with infant (STS)
- limit adult smell (lotions, aftershave, etc.)
oral colostrum care
- taste of mom, improved immune response, positive early oral experiences
- best oral care intervention
supporting families
- essential to optimize developmental outcomes
- trauma-informed care
- give shared attention to the infant, parent, and early developing attachment relationships
- reunification and zero separation are ultimate goal
supporting families: trauma-informed care
- NICU is traumatic, psychosocial support for the parents
- infants experience a number of threats, activate fight or flight, disrupted establishment of nurturing and secure parental relationships (altered relationships/social interactions of infant/caregivers)
- early family stress can impact a child’s behavior long term
supporting families: reunification and zero separation are ultimate goal
- secure attachment, emotional connections
- STS/Kangaroo care improves maternal responsiveness and infant attachment, improved development outcomes/brain development
- limited quality or quantity of parent care results in negative changes in brain structure and function
proper positioning
- neutral head position
- rounded shoulders
- hips and knees flexed
- toes pointed straight
- hands to mouth
- boundaries provided appropriately (mimic the fetal position in utero)
- eyes, knees, and toes in all same direction
proper handling
- infants can feel effects of their vestibular movement when quickly turned
- quick turning, known as a “preemie flip”, has been said to cause disorganization in an infant’s system modulation for up to 20 minutes
- smooth, slow modulated movement light touch or gentle stroking can seem over-stimulating and irritating (gentle but firm “static containment” such as “quiet hands” or “hand hugs”)