Apnea of prematurity is a developmental disorder in preterm infants and is one of the most common NICU diagnosis that requires therapeutic intervention. Caffeine citrate is used in the NICU for the treatment of apnea of prematurity (AOP) in infants between 28 and 32 weeks gestational age, and neonates weighing less than 2 kilograms. Usually given for about seven days with the goal of decreasing apneic spells by 50% (lexi). This drug can be given by mouth or IV. It is generally considered a diagnosis of exclusion. Thus, other causes of apnea should be properly addressed prior to the administration of caffeine citrate.
Once towering, but now slowly crumbling pyramids grace the horizon, bejeweled and dusty royal mummies lay buried and forgotten by the sands of time, and mysterious and often strangely heroic murals intertwined with a scattering of hieroglyphics sprawl across the walls of tombs and temples alike. These are the only evidence left of a once vast empire that is rapidly falling into disrepair as its already decrepit state grows worse. However, the current state of ancient Egypt does not curb the curiosity of adventure seekers looking to peek into a diminished era; today, a multitude of onlookers wander through the glorious yet now empty tombs that once held ancient Egypt’s elite. Millions more in museums around the world peer through the glass enclosing the precious jewels, fragmented pottery and statues, and frayed and often threadbare garments that before adorned peasant and monarch alike. Nevertheless, it is the fascinating intricacies and myths surrounding pieces such as King Tut’s death mask and the statues of Rameses the Great that still grip one with awe and leave lingering unanswered questions behind. What was Egypt like during the reign of each of these age-old monarchs? Even more so, what traits and morals did each hold that wove legacies characterized with such vivid larger than life personas of each, yet above all else, how could one pharaoh inscribe his story in our hearts as to ensure an enduring image even after his death?
After earning his doctor of medicine from the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Allen Cherer undertook an internship and a residency in pediatrics through the University of Louisville School of Medicine/Kosair Children's Hospital. He holds certification through the American Board of Pediatrics and the Sub-Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Allen Cherer is also official educational provider through the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).
The new versus classic BPD features have changed over the years. The approaches to care, including surfactant administration, permissive hypercapnia, and noninvasive ventilation have changed. All these has increased the survival of low birth weight infants as before with classic BPD. The classic BPD was before surfactant and more management techniques, and inflammation and alveolar septal fibrosis. All these changes were associated with oxygen toxicity, infection, and barotrauma.
Ricci, S. Kyle, T. and Carman, S. (2017). Maternity and pediatric nursing 3rd ed. Philadelphia:
Karen L. Stern of Bernstein & Stern, LLC in Worchester, Massachusetts, has been practicing law since 1987. She represents clients throughout the state of Massachusetts as well as New England and the rest of the United States. Ms. Stern's cases include a wide range of matters related to personal injury and employment law. She handles medical malpractice, wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, laser injuries and other cases in which her client has been injured through the negligence of others. She also handles cases related to wrongful termination, employer's failure to pay wages, contract disputes, workplace harassment, deceptive or unfair business practices, fraud and breach of contract.
If and when caffeine crosses the placental barrier it means the maternal blood levels of caffeine are virtually equal to fetal blood level (Collines, 2007). There are certain enzymes needed for the metabolism of caffeine and these enzymes are absents in fetus (Collines, 2007). Due to the lack of this enzyme, this could lead to malformations in the fetus (Collines, 2007). Previous studies done in rats show high caffeine levels have an effect on blood vessels in the placenta which causes them to contract therefore restricting or diminishing blood flow (Fernandez, 2016). Studies of animal models show caffeine can delay ossification, because missing digits, stillbirth and low birth weight (Fernandez, 2016). (MS & RL, 2001). Caffeine’s chemical formula is C8H10N4O2 (Collines, 2007).
Now, medical advances make it possible for even the most severe premature babies to survive. As in case of Preterm babies as young as 22 to 23 weeks ( Micro preemies), level 3 NICU offers a wide range of neonatal services including special imaging techniques, advanced ventilation procedures, and special surgeries (Bird, 2014). Advanced technology has helped to increase the survival rate for even the most severe preterm babies, but the costs associated with them is high (Kornhauser & Schneiderman, 2010). The average cost for treating the micro preemie has been estimated to be more than $ 2 million (Kornhauser & Schneiderman, 2010). Nevertheless, this projected cost is excluding the cost of treating long term outcomes in the micro preemies. The
Patent Ductus Arteriosus is a common condition seen in preterm infants. PDA may cause congestive heart failure, respiratory distress, necrotizing enterocolitis, and renal impairment. Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors and surgical interventions for ligation of PDA are widely used in management of this condition. In small infants, surgical closure can be difficult, therefore medical closure offers a great advantage.
Cue based feeding refers to nipple feedings that are initiated in reaction to an infant's behavioral cues and comes to an end when the infant demonstrates satiation (Drenckpohl, Dudas, et al, 2009). The aim of the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is to provide mothers with sufficient factual information regarding superior infant nutrition, therapeutic and immunological
There are more than 70% of premature babies that are born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation a year. When a baby is born early, or born with birth defects, the Neonatal Intensive Care unit is its first home. The nurse’s in the NICU have the difficult job of preparing baby’s and parents for a health life together. A baby who has been put into the NICU will stay there until it is healthy enough to go home.
The patient population is the preterm babies that are less than 37 weeks’ and weight
They continue to state that all infants need to be placed on their backs anytime they go to sleep, including naps, until they are one year old. They advise against placing a child to sleep on their side, and say that an infant should only be placed on its stomach if it suffers from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the risk of death from GERD outweighs the risk of death from SIDS. The AAP states that preterm babies need to be placed on their backs immediately, as they have an even higher risk of SIDS than others due to a lower birth weight. According to the AAP, hospitalized preterm babies should also be placed on their backs while hospitalized, and they encourage NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) personnel to teach parents safe sleeping habits (AAP,
"Up to 12% of deliveries in developed countries are preterm." This is approximately 500,000 premature births per year. In 2009, my cousin was born ten weeks prematurely, weighing merely two pounds, four ounces. After spending a copious amount of time in and out of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with my family over the course of a month, I developed an interest in its operation. Being a neonatologist became my leading occupation of interest. I chose to further research this topic in hopes of finding out whether or not this is the career path for me. In my research paper, I plan to go into further detail about the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), common medical conditions found in premature infants, how to react and treat these medical conditions, and necessary education to become a neonatologist.
For the past two decades, the limit of gestational viability has been 22-24 weeks (Bhat, Weinberger, & Hanna, 2012). Around 50 years ago, a premature infant born between 22-24 weeks was not considered viable and resuscitation was only considered at 27-28 weeks (Kushchel & Kent, 2011). Medicine and technology advances have improved neonatology drastically and infants are surviving at lower gestational ages. However, many studies show very low survival rates of 22-week neonates and some physician refuse to resuscitate and provide only comfort care. In the NICHD Neonatal Network between 2003 and 2007, infants that were incubated and resuscitated had a 6% survival rate at 22 weeks and a 55% survival rate at 24 weeks (Bhat et al, 2012). Another study followed a hospital for many years were they delivered 85 infants at 22-week
In some cases, some people may need to avoid or limit caffeine consumption due to a health conditions or individual sensitivity. Certain sensitive groups, such as pregnant women and