NICU definitions NICU Care Levels Added

[intorainbowz]

• NICU - Neonatal intensive care unit
• Neo- Neonatologist - MD specializing in premature/sick infants
• PTL - preterm labor
• FT - Full Term baby born after 37 weeks.
• ROP - retinopathy of prematurity - eye damage because of premature birth
• NEC - Necrotizing enterocolitis- intestines die because of premature birth - BREAST MILK HELPS PREVENT THIS
• CPAP - Continuous positive air pressure - A nasal CPAP device consists of a large tube with tiny prongs that fit into the baby's nose, which is hooked to a machine that provides oxygenated air into the baby's air passages and lungs. The pressure from the CPAP machine helps keep a preemie's lungs open so he or she can breathe. However, the machine does not provide breaths for the baby, so the baby breathes on his or her own. Also used on adults with sleep apnea Picture
• apnea - spell where baby stops breathing - usually caused because brain stem is immature
• brady - bradycardia - heart rate drops low
• As & Bs - apnea and bradys
• PAK - pumping at keyboard
• EBM - expressed breast milk
• EP - Exclusively pumping - baby cannot nurse
• HMF - human milk fortifier - added to breast milk to increase calories as premies need more calories to gain weight
• c/s - cesarean section
• IUGR - intrauterine growth restriction - because of conditions in the uterus or problems with the placenta the baby fails to grow at at normal weight Link to a medical journal describing diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and birth of an IUGR pregnancy here and here
• SGA - Small gestational age a baby which is smaller than the usual baby born at that gestation. Not all SGA babies are also IUGR, but all IUGR babies are SGA. Birthweight less than the 10th percentile for intrauterine growth
• Desat - Desaturation - when the O2 concentration in the blood drops below a certain level, usually below 90%.
• O2 - Oxygen
• Os sat or sat - O2 level in the blood. This is measured through a probe attached to the hand or foot, and measured in percentages. ie 98 is a great 02 sat, 75 is not.
• u/s - Ultrasound
• BPP - Bio Physical Profile - Test done by ultrasound which measures how the baby is responding to the uterine environment. Baby is evaluated on movement, breathing efforts, heart rate, and amniotic fluid. Scored out of 8 possible points. Anything under 6 is concerning.
• NST - Non stress test Baby under goes monitoring of heart rate.
• pre-e - Preeclampsia also called toxemia, is a problem that occurs in some women during pregnancy. Signs are high blood pressure, swelling that doesn't go away and large amounts of protein in your urine. Best treatment is delivery of the baby, if the baby is old enough. Great MDC thread here
• HELLP - HELLP stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme levels and a Low Platelet count. Women with HELLP syndrome may have bleeding problems, liver problems and blood pressure problems that can hurt both the mother and the baby.
• PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• LBW - Low Birthweight < 2500 grams or 5.5 lbs
• VLBW - Very Low Birthweight < 1500 grams or 3.3 lbs
• ELBW - Extremely low Birthweight < 1000 grams or 2.2 lbs
• NG tube - Nasogastric tube (feeding tube through the nose)
• SNS - Supplimental Nursing System (It's a bottle with a small tube. The tube is taped next to the breast nipple so that when the baby sucks on the nipple they are also drawing milk out of the bottle for supplimentation.)
• TPN - Total Parenteral Nutrition - Intravenous provision of nutrients when enteral intake is inadequate or impossible.
  
  
  
  
  

Please PM me any corrections/additions and I'll add them on. Or you can make your own post too...

[Amys1st]

PDA-PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS
an opening in a heart valve that normally closes after normal full term birth. In preemies, there is a chance it stays open. Usually treated with medicine- a blood thinner that relaxes it and closes it. Or if needed a quick minor surgery to close the valve.

[intorainbowz]

Definitions of NICU care levels

Originally Posted by BetsyNY

Here's the definitions of NICU levels, for any who might be curious:

Regionalized systems of perinatal care are recommended to ensure that each newborn infant is delivered and cared for in a facility appropriate for his or her health care needs and to facilitate the achievement of optimal outcomes.
The functional capabilities of facilities that provide inpatient care for newborn infants should be classified uniformly, as follows:

Level I (basic): a hospital nursery organized with the personnel and equipment to perform neonatal resuscitation, evaluate and provide postnatal care of healthy newborn infants, stabilize and provide care for infants born at 35 to 37 weeks' gestation who remain physiologically stable, and stabilize newborn infants born at less than 35 weeks' gestational age or ill until transfer to a facility that can provide the appropriate level of neonatal care.

Level II (specialty): a hospital special care nursery organized with the personnel and equipment to provide care to infants born at more than 32 weeks' gestation and weighing more than 1500 g who have physiologic immaturity such as apnea of prematurity, inability to maintain body temperature, or inability to take oral feedings; who are moderately ill with problems that are expected to resolve rapidly and are not anticipated to need subspecialty services on an urgent basis; or who are convalescing from intensive care. Level II care is subdivided into 2 categories that are differentiated by those that do not (level IIA) or do (level IIB) have the capability to provide mechanical ventilation for brief durations (less than 24 hours) or continuous positive airway pressure.

Level III (subspecialty): a hospital NICU organized with personnel and equipment to provide continuous life support and comprehensive care for extremely high-risk newborn infants and those with complex and critical illness. Level III is subdivided into 3 levels differentiated by the capability to provide advanced medical and surgical care.

Level IIIA units can provide care for infants with birth weight of more than 1000 g and gestational age of more than 28 weeks. Continuous life support can be provided but is limited to conventional mechanical ventilation.

Level IIIB units can provide comprehensive care for extremely low birth weight infants (1000 g birth weight or less and 28 or less weeks' gestation); advanced respiratory care such as high-frequency ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide; prompt and on-site access to a full range of pediatric medical subspecialists; and advanced imaging with interpretation on an urgent basis, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and echocardiography and have pediatric surgical specialists and pediatric anesthesiologists on site or at a closely related institution to perform major surgery.

Level IIIC units have the capabilities of a level IIIB NICU and are located within institutions that can provide ECMO and surgical repair of serious congenital cardiac malformations that require cardiopulmonary bypass.
Uniform national standards such as requirements for equipment, personnel, facilities, ancillary services, and training, and the organization of services (including transport) should be developed for the capabilities of each level of care.
Population-based data on patient outcomes, including mortality, specific morbidities, and long-term outcomes, should be obtained to provide level-specific standards for volume of patients requiring various categories of specialized care, including surgery.

Thanks Betsy!

[TeaLeaf]

Expanding on NG tube - Nasogastric tube (feeding tube through the nose) in post #1

Gavage Tube: A feeding tube is a small, soft, plastic tube placed through the nose (NG) or mouth (OG) into the stomach. These tubes are used to provide feedings and medications into the stomach until the baby can take food by mouth.

source: http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/007235.htm

[veganone]

VSD - Ventricular Septal Defect is an opening in the ventricular septum, or dividing wall between the two lower chambers of the heart known as the right and left ventricles. Ventricular septal defects are the most commonly occurring type of congenital heart defect, occurring in one to three out of every 1,000 live births, and four to seven out of every 1,000 premature births. If symptomatic, it can be treated with medication or surgery. Smaller VSDs generally close on their own.

Source: http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/...ageS500P0.html

[prairieo]

Kangaroo care: the practice of holding a premature infant skin to skin for therapeutic care and growth promotion.

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/kangaroocare.asp

[Bunnybee]

PICC line, peripherally inserted central catheter: used to administer TPN

[momoftinyhayden]

They can also administer medication in a PICC Line. Hayden had his for a few weeks after he was no longer on the TPN and Lipids.

They used his for TPN, Lipids, and all medication he was on such as Caffeine, Reglan, and so on

[jlovesl]

Also Tachycardia - this is when the babies heart rate goes up to high. My little guy did this a couple times but it was because he pulled his sheet off his bed and put his face in it. There are also Spontaneous Apnea and Bradys. These are the kind where the baby corrects the problem by themselves without the nurses assistance. These are the good kind.

[AutumnMoonfire]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

PDA-PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS
an opening in a heart valve that normally closes after normal full term birth. In preemies, there is a chance it stays open. Usually treated with medicine- a blood thinner that relaxes it and closes it. Or if needed a quick minor surgery to close the valve.

This is an opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery that is part of normal fetal circulation allowing blood to bypass the non functional fetal lungs. It usually closes on it's own. when it doesn't it produces a heart murmur. The information above is otherwise correct. It has NOTHING to do with the heart valves.