Cath toes

[ncbeachgrl]

This may be a dumb question, but can someone accurately explain why the opposite foot is warmed if a baby has cath toes, and never the affected foot? As a new grad, I was taught warming the opposite foot is correct, but am working somewhere now that puts heel warmers on both feet. I thought this process was wrong, but wanted to be sure of my theory before saying something.

[missapoo]

we have a doc that has used nitro paste over the entire affected extremity...I thought that was a little much but it did seem to work well. We usually pull the line if there is any question of compromise. Along the same lines, this same doc won't let us put any diapers on babies with lines because he thinks they will get a fungal infection...has anyone encountered this? I just think he is full of BS personally lol

I mean really, have you ever tried to catch pee and poop from going everywhere when you can't use a diaper? Our beds are constantly needing changing etc...not to mention we can't get accurate outputs. Sorry for my griping LOL

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

What??!!! LOL!!!!! And there is no chance of infection from laying in a peed up isolette! :roll

Now, aren't those using nitropaste afraid of bottoming out an already comprimised 24 weeker?

[missapoo]

What??!!! LOL!!!!! And there is no chance of infection from laying in a peed up isolette! :roll

Now, aren't those using nitropaste afraid of bottoming out an already comprimised 24 weeker?

exactly dawngloves!! that instance of nitro use was on a bigger baby with lines, but I will definitely put up a stink if he ever tries it on a smaller, more compromised baby. our doc treats any skepticism or unsurety on our (the nurses) part as stupidity and incompetence....I mean he really has little man syndrome and I call him hitler behind his back. We have questioned him before on his tx choices, but he is one of those that gets his way no matter what...any suggestions for how to deal with him? I will also note that our unit is a level 2 and he is the only neo.....we have done and do level 3 stuff at times and he really thinks he is way big stuff. I love what I do, but hate it when he gets ticky.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

We make little "thongs" out of guaze on the smaller kids and use masks, without the metal, as bikinis for the older ones...we don't diaper them so that the belly button doesn't get covered up, but I have never heard of fungal infections from wearing a diaper...although, I suppose if the conditions were just right you could.

We have used nitropaste on the smaller baby...it is just a tich on the toe, and the fellow has to do it. I've never seen the BP bottom out. If that doesn't work, the line comes out.

[NicuNightRN]

I had a baby this week with a PAC in his right arm. When I came on, the waveform was dampened, it had a really narrow pulse pressure (like 36/32 (34)) and I could not draw from the line. Day shift had been having problems with it and couldnt fix it. I changed out my fluids and everything and totally lost the waveform...about 20 minutes later, the kids fingers were turning white, so we pulled the line and saw that the catheter wasn't even in the artery anymore, and it didn't even bleed more than a drop. We then saw that his arm was white halfway to his elbow and he didn't have a pulse in the wrist! We weren't sure if the heelwarmer trick would work on the arms, but it did, and pretty quickly too. It took a while for the cap refill to be anything better than sluggish, but it was amazing to see how fast the color returned to his arm.