Nicu Nursing Case Study

I am interested in pursuing a career in nursing. A career that really interests me is a neonatal intensive care nurse. This is a type of nurse that works in a neonatal intensive care unit. These nurses often work with infants who were born prematurely, born with birth defects, or infants who are having critical complications during the first month after birth. Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit require constant monitoring and are often being treated for life threatening diseases. According to The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) approximately 40,000 infants are born each year in the United States needing specialized NICU care. NICU nurses are always present when a baby is being delivered so they can provide immediate

Ever since I was about 10, I was extremely interested in becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner. I love babies and love helping others so I figured this particular job could be perfect for me. A neonatal nurse practitioner means you provide care for newborns in need of specialized attention for about the first month of their life. These newborns are usually premature or very sick and the nurse practitioners are usually their primary caregiver. NNP’s are responsible for their patients, exercising judgment when necessary to assess, diagnose, and initiate medical procedures. Many tasks include monitoring specialized equipment, including incubators and ventilators. Providing education and support to patients’ families regarding neonatal, intensive

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) develops as a result of an infant 's lungs becoming irritated or inflamed. It is considered a chronic lung disease. BPD progresses from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), usually with atelectasis, consolidation, and massive fibrosis. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is most common in premature infants who needed mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy to survive. Although life-saving, these treatments can also cause lung damage. BPD has been a severe chronic lung disease in premature infants, going back to 1967. Northway et al described it a lung injury in premature infants and the classic BPD had four stages. Each of the stages has radiographically and pathologically differences.

Premature birth has been linked to a vast array of lungs problems, the earlier the birth the greater risk of health complications(Davis R and Mychaliska G, 2013). A majority of the health problems will affect the infant for the rest of their life (Davis R and Mychaliska G, 2013). Infants born between the canalicular and the saccular period (week 25) have lung development that is unsuitable for gas exchange (Davis R and Mychaliska G, 2013). Two major complications that arise with undeveloped lungs is bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and pulmonary arterial hypertension (Mahgoub L. et al. 2017).

Premature babies sometimes have apnea. It may happen together with a slow heart rate. Respiratory distress syndrome or RDS is a breathing problem most common in babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy.” Babies with RDS don’t have a protein called surfactant that keeps small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing. “Intraventricular hemorrhage or IVH is bleeding in the brain. It usually happens near the ventricles in the center of the brain. A ventricles is a space in the brain that’s filled with fluid. Patent ductus ateriosus or PDA is a heart problem that happens in the connection between two major blood vessels near the heart. If the ductus do not close properly after birth, a baby can have breathing problems or heart failure. Heart failure is when enough blood can’t get pumped into the heart causing it to shut down. Necrotizing enter colitis (NEC) is a problem with a baby’s intestines. It causes feeding problems, a swollen belly and diarrhea. It sometimes happens 2 to 3 weeks after a premature bay has been born. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. ROP can lead to vision loss. Jaundice is when a baby's eyes and skin look yellow. A baby has jaundice when his liver isn't fully developed or isn't working well. Anemia is when a baby doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the rest of the body. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a lung condition that can develop in premature babies as well as babies who have treatment with a breathing machine. Babies with BPD sometimes develop fluid in the lungs, scarring and lung damage. Premature babies often have trouble fighting off germs because their immune systems are not fully formed. Infections that may affect a premature baby include pneumonia, a lung infection; sepsis, a blood infection; and meningitis, an infection in the fluid around the brain and

I was induced to the medical field due to my early exposure to health implications due to one of my family members. My first-born nephew was improperly diagnosed and was discharged from the hospital the day he was born. It was not until eighteen days later that I noticed his abnormal breathing. As soon as I became aware of his condition, my nephew was quickly rushed to the hospital. However, it was too late. The physician in charge notified us that he was in coma and needed to undergo heart surgery. The only problem we were now encountering with was not having access to a bed that my nephew needed to prepare him for surgery. UCLA was the only nearest hospital who had the bed he needed, but all beds were full at the time. As soon as we had the

Premature babies typically have underdeveloped respiratory systems and problems maintaining body heat, so they may be kept on a respirator or in an incubator. Although the neonatal period is the first month after birth, these nurses often care for children up to age 2 who have long-term medical issues. While their primary focus is the health of the babies, neonatal nurses obviously will spend a lot of time with anxious parents who are visiting their children in the NICU and must be able to calmly and clearly explain the babies illnesses and treatment, as well as involve the parents in their

There are many steps into becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner. First I must become a

Registered Nurses have a lot of responsibilities and other jobs, the career I chose is a NICU Nurse. They work in the rooms with babies to monitor any complications, but mostly premature babies. I chose this career because I love babies and I would love to be the reason why a baby got better. This career will be a great fit for my life goals because I’ve always wanted to be a nurse and I love working with babies so why not put both the things I love into one.

The list of proposed chronic abnormalities is lengthy. To this date, research has confirmed the following: 1) SIDS is due to a dysfunction of the cardiac and/or respiratory systems, and 2) the death of the infant is due to hypo-ventilation of the lungs and periods of complete cessation of breathing or apnea. Hypo-ventilation and apnea cause hypo-perfusion of the tissues with necessary oxygen. Ischemia of tissues results and eventually causes death. Research now centers around discovering the cause of infant hypo-ventilation and apnea.

This could lead to different types of diseases such as; BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia) , Asthma, or even SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). BPD is more commonly found in premature infants but in some cases healthy babies can also get this disease. One of the reasons why BPD is common in premature babies is because their immune systems are weak. BPD is from damage to the lungs caused by mechanical ventilation (respirator) and long-term use of oxygen. This occurs in premature babies because a lot of time they have to be put on oxygen to help them breath until their lungs become stronger. When an infant is diagnosed with a chronic lungs disease it can lead to other types of infections or complications. If a baby has to be put on a ventilator it could cause complications with their lungs. Ventilators force breathing which means that the ventilators will be forcing high oxygen levels into the lungs of an infant or premature baby. This could possibly cause damage to their lungs. Another chronic lung disease that is commonly found in babies is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). SIDS is an unexplained death, it usually happens while the baby is sleeping, it can happen to a healthy baby who is less than a year old. Some physicians say that the cause of SIDS is from the brain stem being defected; the brain stem controls breathing. Out of 60,000

Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNP) refers to and cares for newborns in their first 28 days of life. Neonatal nurse practitioners practice advanced skills in order to provide care for healthy newborns, as well as newborns who need individualized attention. These nurses care for premature and sick newborns in many different settings: neonatal intensive care units (NICU), emergency rooms, delivery rooms, or specialty clinics(Nurse). NNP’s level of care enables them to preform multiple duties consisting of: monitoring specialized equipment, providing education to the families of the sick newborns, administering medications, preforming diagnostic tests and other procedures in order to establish a treatment plan for the newborns,

Dispatch informed me we had a NICU that was coming from fontana with the baby, isolet, and team dispatch told me that we also had to pick up a NICU nurse from sunset and since 125 was on a call we to prevent a delayed EAT and we came up with the plan to have the reserve go to sunset get Unit 52 and the nurse and drive to Southbay where an complete crew would meet them and they would swap rigs. My eta to sunset would have cause a 15 to 20 minute delay of 52 leaving and getting to southbay on time the reserve has ran NICUs before and since all she was doing was getting the unit and nurse i told her do not what for me if i hadn't made it on time. i told her if she had any issues to contact me asap so i could help walk her through itl. and

Postnatal respiratory complications among newborns are common. The most commonly reported cause of neonatal respiratory distress is transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), with an estimated incidence of 1% to 2% of in all newborns.1

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a common lung disorder that mostly affects preterm infants. RDS is caused by insufficient surfactant production and structural immaturity of the lungs leading to alveolar collapse. Clinically, RDS presents soon after birth with tachypnea, nasal flaring, grunting, retractions, hypercapnia, and/or an oxygen need. The usual course is clinical worsening followed by recovery in 3 to 5 days as adequate surfactant production occurs. Research in the prevention and treatment of this disease has led to major improvements in the care of preterm infants with RDS and increased survival. However, RDS remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality especially in the most preterm infants. This chapter reviews the most current evidence-based management of RDS, including prevention, delivery room stabilization, respiratory management, and supportive care.