Perinatal Period Flashcards
What are components of the initial newborn assessment?
- Determination of gestational age and growth
- Comprehensive newborn assessment within 24 hours of birth
What is considered a preterm infant?
At or before 36 weeks 7 days
What is considered late preterm?
34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks gestation
What is considered term?
between 37 weeks 0 days and 41 weeks 7 days
What is considered post term?
42 weeks 0 days and longer
What conditions is the late preterm infant at higher risk for?
- Hypoglycemia
- Jaundice
- Respiratory distress
- Temperature instability
- Feeding challenges
- Readmission
What is the general protocol for late preterm infants?
- Must be monitored for 48 hours
- Pass a car seat trial
Car seat challenge = placed in car seat for 1 hr with pulse ox on
What are post term newborns at risk for?
- fetal growth restriction
- uteroplacental insufficiency
- meconium aspiration
- intrauterine infection
- dysmaturity
How is growth measured?
- Weight
- Length
- Head circumference
What is considered small for gestational age? Large?
- Small for gestational age: birthweights less than 10th percentile
- Large for gestational age: Birthweights greater than 90th percentile
Appropriate = 10th to 90th percentil
What typically causes symmetrical FGR (fetal growth restriction)/IUGR?
Early first-trimester insults such as chromosomal abnormalities or congenital infection –> global growth delay
Means that both length/weight and head circumference impacted
What typically causes asymmetrical FGR?
- Uteroplacental insufficiency
- Maternal malnutrition
- Later in second or third trimester –> head sparing d/t fetal blood flow redistribution to vital organs
What are neonates who are LGA (large for gestational age) at risk for?
- Birth trauma ie brachial plexus injuries, clavicular fractures, scalp hematomas
What supplies fetus with oxygen and nutrients essential for growth and development intrauterine?
Placenta
Describe fetal oxygen delivery
- Lungs filled with fluid
- Oxygen comes from placenta
- Arteries in lung constricted and vascular resistance in lungs increased –> little blood reaching lungs
hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction
What is the pathway of blood flow from the umbilical vein?
- Ductus venosus
- Inferior vena cava bypassing liver
- R atrium
- L atrium
- Body/organs
How do fetal lungs prepare for extrauterine life at the end of gestation?
- Increased production of surfactant prevents collapse of alveoli
- Decreased production of fetal lung fluid –> lungs start removing fluid out of alveoli and into interstitial space
How does respiratory adaption occur during birth?
Stimuli
1) Thermal –> change in temp stimulates respiratory center in medulla
2) Light and Sound
3) Tactile stimulation from labor contractions
–> trigger infant’s first breath and increased intrapulmonary pressure forcing remaining fluid out of lungs
What occurs during cardiovascular adaptation at birth?
Umbilical cord is cut and onset of respirations causes:
* O2 content of blood to increase –> pulmonary vasodilation –> decreased pulmonary vascular resistance –> increased blood flow to lungs
* Increased venous blood flow to left atrium –> increased L atrial pressure closes foramen ovale
* O2 constricts ductus arteriosus and begins to close with first breath
* Umbilical vein and ductus venosus collapse
* Increased SVR and systemic oxygen content causes umbilical arteries to vasoconstrict
* Fetal shunts and umbilical arteries and veins undergo fibrotic changes and close completely
What is the function of crying in adaptation of the newborn?
Promotes lung expansion and protects lung volume
What is the initial breathing pattern after birth?
- Irregular, modulation of chemoreceptors and stretch receptors makes it rhythmic
- Preterm infants may not be rhythmic due after birth b/c of poor respiratory drive, weak muscles, flexible ribs, surfactant deficiency, and impaired lung liquid clearance
What is required for successful gas exchange and initiation of respiration in a newborn?
- adequate pulmonary gas exchange surface area and well-developed pulmonary vasculature
- Compliant lungs, mature airways, chest wall, respiratory muscles, and neural mechanisms
What are the new 2020 recommendations for neonatal resuscitation?
- Intubation and suctioning is not recommended for not crying babies born through meconium unless concern for airway obstruction post PPV
- Umbilical vein is preferred vascular access point for IV meds
- All births should be attended by 1+ people who can perform neonatal resuscitation
What are the 3 considerations for resuscitation at birth? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, what should you do?
- Is the baby term?
- What is the tone? (want flexion of extremities)
- Is the baby breathing or crying?
If yes: no resuscitation needed: routine care with mother
What is considered routine care with mother?
- Dry, warm
- Position airway and clear secretions if needed
- Preferably skin to skin with mother
- Ongoing observation and evaluation
What should you do if the answer to any of the 3 considerations for resuscitation in the first 30 seconds of life are no? What are those questions again?
Is the baby to term? What is the tone? Is the baby breathing or crying?
- Cut cord immediately and take baby to warmer
- Stabilize: warm, dry, stimulate, position airway, clear secretions
- Tactile stimulation while drying and suctioning (no more than 30 s)
- Suction if necessary with bulb suction (mouth before nose)
- Start APGAR monitor clock and begin resuscitation
If labored breathing or persistent cyanosis in 30 seconds to 1 minute of life, what do you do?
- Position and clear airway
- Place SPO2 monitor on right hand or wrist
- Provide supplemental O2 as needed
- Consider CPAP
What should you do if apnea/gasping and HR <100 BPM
- Begin PPV with BVM rate of 40-60 breaths per minute
- If PPV not effective: MR SOPA
- M: Mask repositioning
- R: Repositioning
- S: Suction
- O: Open the mouth
- P: Increase the pressure
- A: Change the airway (ie transition to laryngeal mask or ET tube)
- Place on SPO2 monitor and continuous ECG
When would you perform chest compressions on a newborn?
- HR <60 despite adequate PPV for 30 s
What is the preferred way to do chest compressions on a newborn?
- 3:1 (3 compressions before or after each inflation)
- Hands encircling chest while thumbs depress sternum
- FiO2 should be increased to 100%
What can you consider during chest compressions?
- Umbilical vein catheterization
If HR persistently below 60 BPM:
* Administer IV epinephrine .01-.03 mg/kg through umbilical vein or .05-.1 mg/kg ET tube
* Always at 1:10,000 conc
If a neonate is still not responding to resuscitation after PPV, chest compressions, and epi what do you do?
- Consider hypoglycemia and correct with 2 mL/kg D10W
- Consider hypovolemia
- Assess for potential pneumothorax
- If no response to resuscitation efforts in 20 minutes may consider termination of efforts
How do you correct hypovolemia in neonates?
- Volume expander of normal saline
- If substantial blood loss consider uncross matched type O- blood volume of 10 mL/kg given IV over 5-10 minutes
What should you do if HR >100 bpm and effective spontaneous respirations?
- Discontinue PPV
- Administer supplemental O2 as needed to maintain target preductal SpO2
- Maintain close monitoring with SpO2 and ECG
1 min: 60-65
2 min: 65-70
3 min: 70-75
4 min: 75-80
5 min: 80-85
10 min: 85-95
What is post resuscitation care of infant?
- Infant >36 weeks estimated getational age who received resuscitation should be examined for HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy)to determine if they meet criteria for therapeutic hypothermia
- Monitor temperature
- Monitor glucose level
What are risk factors for neonatal respiratory distress?
- C-section deliveries
- Decreased gestational age
- Low birth weight
- Male sex
- Maternal asthma
- Maternal gestational diabetes
What causes increased work of breathing in neonates?
- Decreased lung compliance or airway resistance
What should be in your differential diagnosis of a neonate with respiratory distress?
- Transient tachypnea of the newborn
- Respiratory distress syndrome
- Pneumonia
- Meconium aspiration syndrome
- Sepsis
- Meningitis
- Respiratory rate suppression from maternal narcotics
- Congenital airway anomalies
Less common: congenital heart defects, airway malformation, inborn errors of metabolism use
What is a normal respiratory rate for newborns?
30-60 breaths per minute
What causes transient tachypnea of the newborn?
- Elective c-sections –> delay in reabsorption of lung fluid during delivery
- Pulmonary edema due to delayed resorption of alveolar fluid leading to decreased lung compliance and tachypnea
What is seen on a CXR of a newborn with TTN?
- Hyperexpansion
- Perihilar densities with fissure fluid
- Pleural effusions
How long should TTN last?
first 2 hours of life to up to 72 hours, but normally resolves within 24 hours
How is TTN diagnosed?
- Pulse oximetry, physical examination, and chest radiograph
- Labs such as blood cultures, CBC, and CRP
How is TTN managed?
Self-limiting, supportive care
DO NOT use furosemide (may cause weight loss and hyponatremia)
At what point in gestations does the risk for meconium aspiration increase?
- After 41 weeks gestation
- After 39 weeks, healthy women should consider induction
What is meconium?
Sterile substance produced in fetus’ intestines prior to birth and becomes newborn’s first stool after birth
What can cause early release of meconium?
Uterine stress during delivery
What can meconium aspiration cause?
- Airway obstruction
- Inactive surfactant
- Trigger inflammatory changes
Symptoms: respiratory distress and hypoxia
What is the diagnostic criteria for MAS?
- Respiratory stress AND
- Meconium present in amniotic fluid or trachea if intubated
- Chest X-ray with bilateral fluffy densities with hyperinflation
Meconium aspiration syndrome management
- Newborn dried, warmed, and stimulated
- Oxygen supplementation if not breathing or HR <100 bpm
- If HR <60, CPR
- Suction
- Full neonatal resuscitation protocol if respiratory distress does not improve after initial management
Routine intubation not recommended
What is the leading respiratory disorder in preterm infants that causes severe symptoms and can lead to lasting impaired gas exchange
Respiratory distress syndrome
Risk factors for respiratory distress syndrome
- Preterm infants <37 weeks (due to insufficient surfactant), younger –> more at risk
- Environmental and genetic factors for late preterm and term infants