NICU Questions

RosSeta · Feb 25, 2006

what is the setting of a ventilator and isolette?

what is the normal FiO2?

thing i need to consider in the NICU...

please answer this...thank you so much

suzanne4, RN · Feb 25, 2006

There are no set settings on the ventilator, it will vary greatly depending on the lung condition of the infant, as well as their size and weight, etc. Even the type of ventilator can vary. The settings are individualized to each patient.

Again, there is no normal FI02, it is going to depend on the baby's status and what their requirements are. You want to wan down the O2 settings as quickly as possible.

Isolette setting should be to keep the baby about 36.5 degrees axillary. The settings are going to be dialed in to maintain this temp. Again, they will vary depending on the size of the isolette and if the infant is able to maintain their own temperature.

NICU nurse tips such as what? What specifically are you looking for?

Finallyat40 · Feb 25, 2006

These questions are all going to have different answers depending upon the individual baby....There are some guidelines that are considered, but no definitives.

1) Ventilator settings: PIP/PEEP, RATE and ITIMES are based on how much support the baby needs....not just set randomly...some babies do better on less peep and more rate, some on more peep and less rate...some hold onto co2 if their itimes aren't long enough...some don't.

2) Normal Fi02: Ideal Fi02 would be .21, which is room air....normal...sorry, just doesn't exist.

3) Isolette settings: Again, this is variable based on the kiddo...if they're less than 35 weeks, we start them on servo at 36.5, then adjust based on their ability to hold the temp...full termers are usually put immediately on manual mode at 29.0, then reduced as necessary for temps of 36.5-37.2

4) NICU TIPS: Hmmm, depends on what you're looking for...there are lots of tips that can be shared....the most important is that no two babies are alike, and they should never be treated as such...even identicals. AND never trust a full term baby....they will go bad on you when you least expect it!

Jamie

RosSeta · Feb 27, 2006

thank you so much ma'ams for answering. what if the baby is LBW, say less than 1000g what is the ventilator setting going to be?

do you do CPR on the NICU? thank you so much for your help...

Gompers, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2006

I don't understand why these are mock interview questions. There are no actual answers for them. It all depends on that particular baby - and if you don't yet have NICU expereince, it's impossible for you to know these kinds of things. That would be my answer for these questions - the level of support (vent settings, oxygen level, isolette heat) all depend on that particular baby's needs. We try to give the least possible amount of pressure and oxygen on the ventilator, and the isolette adjusts to give the baby the right amount of heat to maintain a normal temperature.

Yes, we do CPR in the NICU but not like you see with adults. We use 1-2 fingers for compressions and either place a ventilation mask on the baby's face or attach it to their breathing tube. We also don't defibrillate during CPR like you might see with adults. The vast majority of the time, cardiac arrest in a baby is secondary to respiratory arrest, so once you get oxygen into their lungs, their heart responds as well. We do use drugs to stimulate the heart to beat faster if it slows down.