What is the best way to determine heart rate in the newly born infant? The best way to determine the heart rate of the newly born is by auscultation of the precordial pulse. If a pulse is detected, then palpation of the umbilical pulse is more accurate than other sites and gives a rapid estimate …
When does the newly born infant need assistance with ventilation? Approximately 10% of newly born infants require some form of assistance to begin breathing at birth, and 1% require extensive resuscitation measures. After the infant has been quickly assessed and found to have apnea or gasping respirations, initiate positive-pressure ventilation with air. Also initiate positive-pressure …
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How can a very low birth weight premature newborn infant (< 1500 g) be kept warm in the Emergency Department? Drying and swaddling, warming pads, increased environmental temperature, and covering with a blanket have been used to keep newborns warm. These techniques have not been evaluated in controlled trials and may not be enough to …
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What are the initial steps in stabilization (newly born is preterm, not crying or breathing, does not have good tone)? Because newly born infants do not tolerate cold, and hypothermia can prolong acidosis, heat loss should be prevented as much as possible. Dry the infant of the amniotic fluid and place the newborn in a slight Trendelenburg …
How to assess the condition of a newborn? In assessing the newly born infant, three basic questions should be asked: 1. Is the newly born infant at term gestation? 2. Is the newly born infant crying or breathing? 3. Does the newly born infant have good muscle tone? If the answers to all of these questions are “yes,” …
What physiologic changes take place during the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life? The cardiopulmonary systems undergo a rapid change from fetal to extrauterine life. At birth the umbilical cord is clamped, and systemic vascular resistance rises. With the newborn’s first breaths (increasing the neonate’s Pa o 2 and pH), pulmonary vascular resistance decreases, thereby causing an increase …
3 Interesting Facts of Hypocalcemia in Newborn Presence of hypotonia suggests hypoglycemia; risk factors for neonatal hypoglycemia include infant of diabetic mother, small or large for gestational age, prematurity, early respiratory distress, and some congenital diseases (eg, glycogen storage disease, Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome) Presence of tetany suggests hypocalcemia; risk factors for hypocalcemia include prematurity, intrauterine growth …