NJNICUCCRN

Our NICU is looking for a product to recommend to parents when babies are sent home with the HOB elevated. Has anyone used a wedge or riser under crib legs that they feel is safe and effective?

I didn't mean to write a lengthy post but.... I am well aware of the AAP guidelines on safe sleep environments. In my 30 years of level 3 NICU experience I have seen just a handful of babies go home in elevated, prone positions for sleep. Not just f...

Just wondering... Does anyone use gel-pillows/pads under patients on HFOV?? Has anyone heard that it is contraindicated??

I think your assessment of the baby was spot on! I had a similar situation many years ago and I too felt pressured to do something that I felt was not necessary. That never happened again :)

I too think it sounds rediculous! We don't use z-flow mattresses but use 5" radius pads under head/chest when baby is prone. They are taken out for x-rays. I KNOW it doesn't alter the delivered breaths but I need to find the answer in text to convin...

Some feel that a gel will"absorb" the bounce. I feel like it is softer than tha standard mattress and better for the baby

A resp therapist told me it was contraindicated but couldnt give me any research/rationale. She said the gel pillow under head/chest will absorb the "bounce". I feed like the "bounce" is on the inside, no?

We use penguins. Love them!!

We have been having many CBC specimens clot! We are tracking the number clotted and are coming up with about 7-9%! These are all specimens obtained by heelstick. Anyone else have this problem in their unit???

We also use the NeoFax and we receive it at no cost from Abbott Nutrition.

We use oral tubes if it is a tiny baby on cpap that needs a real good seal with the prongs. Once the baby begins to gag on the OG tube, it needs to be switched to nasal

Our unit just recently started using only 10ml syringes for anything pushed in our uac's. Anyone else using this size syringe? (We were told that the manufacturer reccommends this size)

Never a 20 weeker! The earliest i have seen is 23-plus. We are not aggressive with under 24 weeks unless the baby is very active at birth.

We just use tape in our unit. I have worked in 2 nicus and we have trialed about 3-4 different methods but always come back to tape. If we could get together and come up with something that really works, we'd be able to retire :)

Our babies rarely go home on caffeine but sometimes we use theophylline. Maybe they would pay for that med instead. Just a thought :)

We dont "chase" babies esp if they are labile. However, we do first silence the high sat alarm and standby...if the sat does stay high, we will tweak the baby down. I think we respond quicker to high sats rather than low ones esp in labile babies...

We are a 42 bed level 3 NICU. We get a fair share of micro-preemies. Our alarms limits are monitored every shift. The alarms are responded to (high sats) immediately. Also, we changed our pre-oxygenation to 10 percent above what the patient was ...

this is what our NICU uses: >2000grams on oxygen target sats 90-94 alarms at 86-96 >2000 grams on RA target 90-100 alarms at 86-100 we have had no ROP since starting these parameters :)

I'm so sorry that you had that experience. I have heard of others that had the same. Some units are very difficult due to personalities. It is the manager that should put a stop to that behavior. Dont let that stop your dreams of working in a NIC...

I have seen many blood infiltrates. They all look so awful but they have all turned out fine with no treatment at all. The parents really take it hard because they look so bad. Check sites very frequently with prbc infusions and hopefully you can ...

i completely agree with the practice of open to air. My colleagues all know which are my babies because if my babies have red or broken bottoms, the butt is naked and heat lamp on.

I believe that adults and babies are as different as night and day. If you really want NICU then you should go for it. Just remember that you have to be open to learning all over again and keep an open mind. You may feel like a new grad again. Go...

we use sucrose for minor painful procedures ie IV sticks, heel sticks, circs. WE do NOT give it to NAS babies though because it can alter your Finnegan scores

I agree with all the above. Sounds like we are all doin it the same.

a little scarey that you would need a morphine/versed cocktail. is this a standing order????