Tiny Airway Mysteries
This is the normal respiratory rate for a newborn.
What is 30-60 breaths per minute?
This respiratory support provides continuous positive pressure to help keep alveoli open.
What is CPAP?
This device delivers breaths directly into the infant's lungs through an endotracheal tube.
The blood gas value reflects ventilation effectiveness.
What is PaCO2?
Frequent apnea and bradycardia in a preterm infant may improve with this medication.
What is caffeine?
There are three common signs of increased work of breathing in neonates.
What are retractions, nasal flaring, and grunting?
This complication can occur if too much air enters the stomach during CPAP therapy.
What is abdominal distention?
This color change detector is commonly used to help confirm ET placement after intubation.
What is a CO2 detector?
A low pH with elevated CO2 indicates this acid-base imbalance.
What is respiratory acidosis?
An infant with severe respiratory distress, differential saturations, and labile oxygenation may have this condition.
What is persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)?
Premature infants often lack this substance that keeps alveoli open.
What is surfactant?
This is one nursing intervention used to prevent nasal injury from CPAP devices.
What is alternating mask/prongs or using skin barriers?
This complication occurs when pressure damages delicate neonatal lung tissue.
What is barotrauma?
These saturation sites are compared when assessing for persistent pulmonary hypertension or ductal shunting.
What are pred-ductal and post-ductal saturations?
A sudden desaturation after repositioning a ventilated infant should make you assess for this first.
What is accidental extubation?
This breathing pattern can be normal in preterm infants and includes brief pauses less than 20 seconds.
This sound is expected when bubble CPAP is functioning properly.
What is bubbling?
What is a blood gas?
Excess oxygen exposure n premature infants increases the risk for this eye condition.
What is retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)?
This emergency should be suspected if breath sounds suddenly decrease on one side and the infant deteriorates rapidly.
What is a tension pneumothorax?
Newborns primarily breathe through this structure.
What is the nose?
A sudden increase in oxygen requirement and asymmetric chest movement on CPAP may indicate this emergency.
What is a pneumothorax?
What is permissive hypercapnia?
This condition occurs when oxygenation is impaired despite adequate ventilation.
What is hypoxemia?
Cold stress increases this demand, worsening respiratory distress in neonates.
What is oxygen consumption?