Question about preterm infants!

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Hi all,

I am doing a presentation on precipitous delivery for ER staff and I am also starting in the Special Care Nursery in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I am asking that anyone who has time, if they could specify gestational age with expected problems ie 34 weeks difficulty feeding.

I am just trying to advise my audience and learn for myself what babies may come out with or without respiratory distress etc based on gestational age.

I know every baby is different, but I am guessing there is sort of an average for lack of a better term.

Thanks

Happy

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

Pretty much any baby born before 35 weeks is at risk for respiratory distress. The lower the gestational age, the more distress the baby will present in.

Important considerations include basic delivery room issues.

You'll need preemie-sized supplies, like 2.5-4mm ETTs, infant BP cuffs, thermometers, 24ga short IV catheters, umbilical line insertion supplies, etc.

Early notification and access to neonatology services is critical. Especially when trying to drop lines and an ETT into a 450gm 23 weeker. IMHO, no matter how great your ER team is, they're way over their heads in a case like that.

There's a GREAT course out there called S.T.A.B.L.E. which was designed for non-NICU settings and community hospitals.

The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program