PAEDS - NEONATAL Flashcards
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
What is the first step of neonatal resuscitation?
How does it differ if the baby is <28w?
- Warm + dry baby ASAP by vigorous drying (may stimulate breathing)
- Heat lamp
- Babies <28w in plastic bag while still wet + manage under heat lamp
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
What should be calculated whilst neonatal resuscitation occurs?
What is the next stage?
- APGAR at 1, 5 + 10m
- Stimulate breathing with vigorous drying
- Place baby’s head in neutral position to keep airway open (towel under shoulder can help)
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
If breathing stimulation fails what is the next stage of neonatal resuscitation?
Inflation breaths if gasping or not breathing –
- 2 cycles of 5 inflation breaths
- No response + HR low = 30s of ventilation breaths
- No response, HR <60bpm = chest compressions (3:1 with ventilation breaths)
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
You come across an unconscious child.
What are the first steps you would perform?
- Danger = ensure safety
- Unresponsive = shout for help
- Open airway = head tilt + chin lift or jaw thrust
- Look, listen + feel for breathing (noisy gasps do not count)
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
It appears that this child is not breathing.
What is your next step and explain how this would differ depending on the child’s age?
- 5 rescue breaths
- Infants = neutral position, cover mouth + nose with whole mouth
- > 1y = head tilt chin lift, pinch soft part of nose + seal mouths
- Ensure chest rise/fall for effectiveness (if not ?obstruction or try jaw thrust)
- Note any gag or cough response to actions as sign of life
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
You have performed your 5 rescue breaths but there was no coughing or response to your efforts
What should be done next?
Check circulation –
- Infant = brachial or femoral
- Child = femoral or carotid
- If pulse felt = continue rescue breathing until child takes over
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
You do not feel a pulse.
What should you do now?
- Chest compressions 15:2 rescue breaths
- Depress sternum by one-third depth of chest
- Rate of 100-120bpm
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
How will your CPR technique depend on the child?
- Infant = tips of two fingertips or encircle with thumbs
- > 1y = heel of 1 hand on lower sternum
- Larger = 2 hands interlocked as for adults
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
You are at a restaurant and notice a situation at the table next to you and offer support. A child appears to be choking.
What would indicate an effective cough and how would you manage this?
- Loud, responsive, able to breathe, verbal
- Encourage cough + continue to observe for deterioration or until obstruction relieved
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
What would indicate an ineffective cough and how would you manage this?
- Unable to vocalise/breathe, cyanosis, silent/quiet cough
- Conscious = 5 back blows, 5 thrusts
- Unconscious = open airway, 5 breaths, CPR
PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT
How do the choking techniques differ for age?
- Chest thrusts for infant, abdominal if >1y
- Infants head down prone for back blows, supine for thrusts
- Back blows more effective if child’s head down
PREMATURITY
What are some respiratory complications of prematurity?
- Apnoea,
- RDS,
- bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
- infections
PREMATURITY
What are some GI complications of prematurity?
- Necrotising enterocolitis,
- neonatal jaundice,
- feeding issues
PREMATURITY
What are some neuro complications of prematurity?
- Cerebral palsy,
- hearing/visual impairment,
- intraventricular haemorrhage
PREMATURITY
What are some metabolic complications of prematurity?
- Hypoglycaemia,
- hypocalcaemia,
- electrolyte imbalance,
- fluid imbalance
- hypothermia
PREMATURITY
What causes feeding problems in prematures babies?
How quickly should you build up feeds and why?
- Unable to suck + swallow until 33–34w so will need NG
- Build feeds up slowly to reduce risk of NEC
PREMATURITY
What causes hypoglycaemia?
Lack of glycogen stores
PREMATURITY
What causes hypocalcaemia?
Kidneys + parathyroid not fully developed
PREMATURITY
What causes electrolyte, fluid imbalance + hypothermia?
Excess losses through skin
RDS
What is the pathophysiology respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)?
- Inadequate surfactant > high surface tension within alveoli
- Leads to atelectasis (lung collapse) as more difficult for alveoli + lungs to expand so there’s inadequate gas exchange > hypoxia, hypercapnia + respiratory distress
RDS
What are some risk factors of RDS?
- Prematurity #1
- Maternal DM
- 2nd premature twin
- C-section
RDS
What is the clinical presentation of RDS?
- Tachypnoea >60bpm
- Increasing oxygen need
- Laboured breathing = sternal + subcostal indrawing, nasal flaring, grunting
- Cyanosis if severe
RDS
What is the investigation for RDS?
CXR –
- Reticular “ground-glass” changes
- Heart borders indistinct
- Air bronchograms
RDS
What are the short and long term complications of RDS?
- Short = pneumothorax, infection, apnoea, necrotising enterocolitis
- Long = bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity
RDS
What emergency treatment is required before the delivery of any preterm infant?
- Antenatal dexamethasone
- Increases surfactant production
RDS
What is the management of RDS?
- Assisted ventilation by CPAP keeping lungs inflated or intubation if severe
- Endotracheal surfactant via endotracheal tube
- Supplementary oxygen for SpO2 91–95%
- Breathing support gradually stepped down as baby develops
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What is necrotising enterocolitis?
- Disorder affecting premature neonates where part of bowel becomes necrotic
- Associated with bacterial invasion of ischaemic bowel wall
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What are some risk factors for necrotising enterocolitis?
- Very LBW + premature
- Formula feeds (breast milk protective)
- RDS + assisted ventilation
- Sepsis
- PDA + other CHD
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What is the clinical presentation of necrotising enterocolitis?
- Bilious vomiting
- Intolerance to feeds
- Distended, tender abdo with absent bowel sounds
- Bloody stools
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What are some investigations for necrotising enterocolitis?
- Blood culture (sepsis)
- CRP
- Capillary blood gas = metabolic acidosis
- AXR is diagnostic
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What would an AXR show in necrotising enterocolitis?
- Dilated loops of bowel
- Bowel wall oedema (thickened bowel walls)
- Pneumatosis intestinalis (intramural gas)
- Pneumoperitoneum (free gas in peritoneum = perf)
- Football sign = air outlining falciform ligament
- Rigler’s sign = air both inside/outside bowel wall
- Gas in portal veins
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What are some complications of necrotising enterocolitis?
- Dead bowel > perforation + peritonitis > sepsis + shock
- Stricture formation
- Short bowel syndrome (malabsorption) if extensive resection required
NEC. ENTEROCOLITIS
What is the management of necrotising enterocolitis?
- A–E if shocked, ?artificial ventilation, ?circulatory support
- Broad spec Abx 1st, NBM with IV fluids + total parenteral nutrition (NG to drain gas + fluid from stomach + intestines)
- Surgical emergency > laparotomy for perforation
JAUNDICE
What is jaundice?
- Abnormally high levels of bilirubin in the blood
JAUNDICE
What is the physiology relating to jaundice?
RBCs contain unconjugated bilirubin, they breakdown + release it into blood, conjugated in liver + excreted via biliary system (GI tract) or urine
JAUNDICE
What are some risk factors for jaundice?
- LBW
- Breastfeeding
- Prematurity
- FHx
- Maternal diabetes
JAUNDICE
Jaundice can be split into 3 aetiological time categories.
What are these?
- <24h = always pathological, usually haemolytic disease
- 24h–2w = common
- > 2w = also bad
JAUNDICE
What are some causes of jaundice <24h after birth?
- Haemolytic diseases #1 = rhesus or ABO incompatibility, G6PD, spherocytosis
- Congenital infection (TORCH), sepsis
JAUNDICE
What are some causes of jaundice 24h–2w after birth?
- Physiological + breast milk jaundice (common)
- Infection (UTI, sepsis)
- Haemolysis, polycythaemia, bruising
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome (rare inherited disorder with no UGT enzyme)
JAUNDICE
What are some causes of jaundice >2w after birth?
- Unconjugated = physiological or breast milk, UTI, hypothyroid, high GI obstruction (pyloric stenosis), Gilbert syndrome
- Conjugated (>25umol/L) = bile duct obstruction (biliary atresia), neonatal hepatitis
JAUNDICE
How does jaundice present?
When would you worry about jaundice persisting?
- Yellow skin/sclera (may be more visible when outside in sunlight)
- Persistent or prolonged jaundice worrying (>2w full term, >3w preterm)
JAUNDICE
What is physiological jaundice?
- High concentration of RBCs in neonate which are more fragile with shorter life
- Less developed liver
- Foetal RBCs breakdown more rapidly releasing lots of bilirubin > normal rise in bilirubin = mild jaundice from 2–7d
JAUNDICE
How is physiological jaundice diagnosed?
How is physiological jaundice managed?
- Only when all other causes excluded
- Usually completely resolves by 10d, most babies otherwise healthy
JAUNDICE
What might cause breast milk jaundice?
- Components of breast milk inhibiting liver to process bilirubin
- Increased bilirubin absorption
- Inadequate feeds > slow passage of stools
JAUNDICE
What is Gilbert’s syndrome?
How does it present?
- AR deficiency of UDP-glucuronyltransferase = defective bilirubin conjugation
- Unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (not in urine), jaundice may only be present if ill, exercising or fasting
JAUNDICE
What investigations would you perform in neonatal jaundice?
- FBC + blood film (polycythaemia, G6PD, spherocytosis)
- Bilirubin levels
- Blood type testing of mother + baby for ABO/Rh incompatibility
- Direct Coombs (antiglobulin) test for haemolysis
- TFTs, LFTs + urine MC&S
JAUNDICE
When measuring bilirubin levels what are you looking for?
How would you measure bilirubin levels depending on age?
- Split bilirubin = unconjugated (extra-hepatic) or conjugated (hepatobiliary)
- > 24h old = transcutaneous bilirubin meter if high, serum to confirm within 6h
- <24h old = serum bilirubin within 2h
JAUNDICE
What is the main complication of jaundice?
What is it?
- Kernicterus
- Bilirubin-induced encephalopathy caused by unconjugated bilirubin deposition in brain (basal ganglia + brainstem nuclei) as baby’s BBB are not well developed
JAUNDICE
What increases the risk of kernicterus?
- Prematurity as immature liver
JAUNDICE
How does kernicterus present?
What are the outcomes?
- Lethargy, poor feeding > hypertonia, seizures + coma
- Permanent damage = dyskinetic cerebral palsy, LD + deafness