Perinatal Intensive Care Units

These guidelines provide a consistent definition of requirements for a number of special care units, services and programs in health institutions based on technological advancement to assist in planning and implementing programs and services.

From World Health Organization data, the prevalence of hearing impairment among infants varies between 0.5 and 3.0 cases per thousand, but in children hospitalised in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and in those with other risk factors (ie: anatomically small for gestational age, craniofacial abnormalities, intrauterine infections, family history of hearing loss, ototoxic drugs, mechanical ventilation , etc.), the prevalence is 10-20 times greater. Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be defined as an intensive care unit for sick newborns who need specialised treatment. NICU combines equipment and advanced technology with medical staff specially trained in newborn care. The Joint Committee on Infants Hearing (JCIH) identified many risk factors in NICU infants like prolonged mechanical ventilation, asphyxia, low birth weight and ototoxic medication, and so it also considers intensive care as a whole a risk factor. The present book focuses its attention on this hearing loss risk factor, starting from risk factors and screening strategies, highlighting the various neonatal levels of care, focusing on the treatment of infants with neural tube defects and the future motor development of premature babies. This should be done until caregivers can get the attention of drug therapies used in the NICU.

Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition of Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing is a comprehensive, evidence-based text for nurses and midwives caring for sick newborn babies. Written by and for nurses, it concentrates on the common problems occurring within the neonatal intensive care unit. This user-friendly text will enable nurses to recognise, rationalise and remedy these problems using both a multi-systems and an evidence-based approach. Individual chapters include: Professional Development • Developmentally-focused Nursing Care • Resuscitation of the Newborn • Management of Thermal Stability • Management of Respiratory Disorders • Cardiovascular Management • Brain Injury in the Preterm Infant • Haematological Problems • Pain Management • Fluid and Electrolyte Balance • Nutritional management • Neonatal Infection • Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures • Neonatal Anaesthesia • Surgical Aspects of Neonatal Intensive Care • Neonatal Transport • Family Support • Ethics and Neonatal Nursing • Medication in the Newborn • Death and Dying in the Neonatal Unit It is essential reading for experienced nurses and midwives caring for sick newborn babies within the neonatal intensive care unit, for nurses undertaking qualifications in the specialism of neonatal nursing and for pre-registration students undertaking relevant modules or placements.

Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition of Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing is a comprehensive, evidence-based text for nurses and allied health professionals caring for sick newborn infants. This user-friendly text focuses on the common problems and related care occurring within the neonatal specialty. All previous chapters have been thoroughly updated and new content includes chapters on, for example, organisation of neonatal care, assessment of the neonate, the premature and low birth weight neonate as well as palliative care. In addition, the book now includes a broad and in-depth web-based companion comprising online resources, case studies with answer guides and learning activities. This accessible and interactive approach enables nurses to recognise, rationalise and understand clinical problems using an evidence-based approach. Divided into four parts, the book provides an overview of neonatal care, and a detailed look at the physical and emotional wellbeing of neonate and family, a range of clinical aspects of neonatal care, and key practices and procedures. Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing will be essential reading for both new and experienced nurses, allied health professionals and students learning about neonatal care including those undertaking qualifications in the neonatal specialism and pre-registration students taking relevant modules or placements.

The leading resource for collaborative critical care for newborns, Merenstein & Gardner’s Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care, 7th Edition provides a multidisciplinary approach and a real-world perspective. It focuses on evidenced-based practice, with clinical directions in color for easy retrieval and review. Special features help you prioritize the steps in initial care, and provide a guide to sharing information with parents. With each chapter written jointly by both physicians and nurses, this book is comprehensive enough to suit the needs of the entire team in your neonatal intensive care unit. Unique! A multidisciplinary perspective is provided by an editorial team of two physicians and two nurses, and each chapter is written and reviewed by a physician and nurse team, so information mirrors the real-world experience in a neonatal intensive care unit. Unique! Clinical content is in color, so you can quickly scan through chapters for information that directly affects patient care. Unique! Parent Teaching boxes highlight the relevant information to be shared with a patient’s caregivers. Critical Findings boxes outline symptoms and diagnostic findings that require immediate attention, helping you prioritize assessment data and steps in initial care. Coverage in clinical chapters includes pathophysiology and etiology, prevention, data collection, treatment, complications, outcomes, prognosis, and parent education. Expanded Neonatal Surgery chapter covers all of the most common procedures in neonatal surgery. Follow-up of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Infant chapter is expanded to include coverage of outcomes management and discharge planning. Streamlined references are updated to include only the most current or classic sources.