What do you NICU nurses think about this?

Specialties NICU

Published

I am a new grad peds nurse and I ran into this story. While is sounds nothing short of miraculous I am a little skeptical in believing that the events happened that way and a baby without Oxygen resource started spontaneously breathing without brain damage, more specifically CP. Two hours without breathing?!?!?! Just curious what you guys think about it. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled for the mom and I think it's wonderful that she has a healthy seaming baby.

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

Can you provide a link to the story so that it can be read word for word? Thank you.

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this might be the story the op is referring to.

dead premature baby revived by 2 hrs of mom's cuddles - nursing for nurses

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

Read it... and groaned inwardly. It's articles like this that give the public false hope and misinformation. How many kids are going to have their suffering prolonged as a result of this story??

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Specializes in NICU.

Also, to paraphrase a comment I read on this story somewhere, how many parents are going to feel more guilty and sick at heart now, thinking that if they'd just held their baby a little longer, they too could have ended up with a "miracle"?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Reminds me of the episode of Gray's Anatomy when George kangaroo'd the dying baby and it lived. I really hate stories like this.

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that after 20 minutes of battling to get her son to breathe, they had declared him dead.

What kind of resusitation did they do? Don't all 27 weekers battle to breathe? That's why they get intubated. This was either gross negligence on the part of the hospital or a resusitation guideline I am not familiar with.

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What kind of resusitation did they do? Don't all 27 weekers battle to breathe? That's why they get intubated. This was either gross negligence on the part of the hospital or a resusitation guideline I am not familiar with.

I agree...wondering if they have different resusitation guidelines in other countries...which also makes me wonder if the twin was breathing fine on her own with no assistance?

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Abstract from an Australian journal regarding neonatal resusitation:

Antenatal counselling, resuscitation practices and attitudes among Australian neonatologists towards life support in extreme prematurity.

Munro M, Yu VY, Partridge JC, Martinez AM.

Department of Paediatrics and Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

A questionnaire survey of Australian neonatologists was conducted to ascertain their antenatal counselling and resuscitation practices, and attitudes towards life support in the extremely preterm infant. This study showed that in antenatal parental counselling, whether a paediatrician was given the opportunity to participate depends on the gestation at the time of the threatened preterm delivery The counselling employed almost invariably covered mortality and morbidity. The obstetrician's opinion was considered to be of utmost importance. Both financial and moral obligations were found to be of little importance in counselling and resuscitation. Only one-third of institutions had guidelines for limiting resuscitation. The onus remained on the neonatologists concerning which infant to resuscitate, and the level of the resuscitation to be conducted. In Australia, resuscitation at birth was restricted to infants of 23 weeks' gestation or above, and neonatologists did not believe the legal system has a role to play in limiting or mandating resuscitation of extremely preterm infants. Neither were they concerned with the threat of litigation when they decide to limit resuscitation. The majority of neonatologists agreed with their institution's approach to life support in extremely preterm infants. One grey area was the question of withholding assisted feeding in an infant for which the decision to withdraw life support has been made. Australia lacked a current consensus policy on selective non-treatment. The establishment of national guidelines would be helpful to aid Australian obstetricians and neonatologists in their clinical practice.

This is just one article, there were a few others but it appears they are much less aggressive than we are here.

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Ok now there is another article on The Daily Mail site that provides more detail. It also says the parents ARE worried about long term brain damage. Can someone please post it? I'm on my phone and can't get my link to paste. This article paints the Dr and midwife in pretty bad light.

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Thanks Coffee Nurse!

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