Sick Term Infants Flashcards
(42 cards)
What structure is commonly used to give IV access in babies?
The umbilicus
How long dies it take for babies to become sick?
Not long at all = babies can become sick very quickly at any time from birth up until 28 days
When is the neonatal period?
From birth to 27 days
When do infections tend to present in babies?
Soon after delivery
What are the categories of the Apgar score?
Appearance (skin colour) Pulse Grimace (reflex irritability) Activity (muscle tone) Respiration
What Apgar score indicates a healthy baby?
Aiming for score of 2 in each category to give a total of 10
What Apgar score do stillborns normally have?
A score of 0
What should a baby’s pulse be?
Greater than 100 = term babies should be between 120-140 bpm, preterm babies should be up to 160 bpm
What makes up the history of a newborn clinical assessment?
Maternal = PMH, pregnancy issues, drugs, infection risks Infant = foetal growth and anomaly, delivery, resuscitation
What should be inspected in a newborn clinical assessment?
Tone, colour, level of arousal, work of breathing, heart rate, respiratory rate, capillary refill, oxygen saturation
What should the normal vital signs be in babies?
Respiratory rate = 40-60 bpm
Capillary refill = 2-3s
SaO2 = 95%
When may a baby develop apnoea?
When they are just beginning to become unwell
How do seizures present in babies?
They are subtle = apnoea, lip smacking, eye rolling, cycling of limbs
What are some signs that may indicate an unwell baby in a newborn clinical assessment?
Jaundice, low tone (floppy), seizures, poor feeding, bilious vomit
What temperature should babies be kept at?
Between 36.5-37.4 degrees
What makes up the initial management of a baby after delivery?
Temperature, airways and breathing, circulation (fluids, inotropes), antibiotics, metabolic homeostasis (glucose management, acid-base balance)
When should antibiotics be given to a sick baby?
Until infection is completely ruled out
What is the blood volume of babies?
80ml/kilo
What makes up the ongoing management of babies after delivery?
Diagnostic work up
Further support = ventilation, drugs, specific therapy, surgery, transfer to specialist centre
Care of family
What is therapeutic hypothermia?
Cooling of baby to 33.5 degrees for 72 hrs = used to treat neurological ischaemia (protective against cerebral palsy)
What are the main categories of causes of a sick baby?
Congenital abnormalities, metabolic, infection, pregnancy/birth related
When may infection occur in a baby?
Antenatal = bacterial (Group B strep) Perinatal = viral (enterovirus, herpes) Postnatal = bacterial (staph)
Where are some sites of infection in babies?
Bloodstream = bacteraemia/septicaemia CNS = meningitis Respiratory = pneumonia GU = UTI (more common in boys up to 28 days) Others = skin (around umbilicus), bone (osteomyelitis), necrotising enterocolitis
What are some common bacterial causes of infection in babies?
Group B strep (most common), E.coli, listeria myocytogenes (rare), staph aureus, staph, epidermidis (babies who’ve undergone operations)
