NICU Terminology
Finding yourself in the NICU with your premature baby is stressful, overwhelming and emotionally draining.
Apart from learning to deal with the emotional aspect of having a premmie baby, parents also need to learn all the terms used by the nursing staff in the NICU. Here’s an overview of some of the terms you may encounter.
Apnea
This is when your baby may temporarily stop breathing. A simple touch is usually enough to get your premmie to take the next breath
Aminophylline
A drug commonly given to preterm babies to reduce apneas and bradycardias
Bagging
A small rubber mask is placed over baby’s mouth and nose to pump oxygen from a rubber bag into the lungs. This may be done with long apneas or to change a baby’s ventilator tubing
Bilirubin
A yellow by-product of the body’s red cells being broken down. When a baby’s body is unable to remove this product, it results in jaundice
Bolus
An amount of milk or fluid given rapidly into the gut or into a vein
Bradycardia
A slowing of the heart beat to less than 90 beats per minute. Gently patting or stimulation can usually speed it up
Breast pump
A pump used to express breast milk
Cerebral palsy
A non-specific diagnosis given to children with some impairment of muscle tone, movement, and co-ordination
Central line
A long-term intravenous line
Corticosteroids
Drugs that mimic the action of natural steroid hormones can help the lungs of a foetus to develop more quickly while in the uterus
Corrected age
The age your baby would be if born at 40 weeks
CPAP
Continuous positive airways pressure – usually a short plastic tube from the nose to the back of the throat that increases the pressure in the airways
EBM
Expressed breast milk
ETT/Endotracheal Tube
A thick plastic tube from the mouth or nose into the airways. It is then connected to a ventilator or a rebreathing bag (see bagging)
Express
To collect breast milk into sterile bottles either by hand or with a breast pump
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW)
A baby weighing less than 1000 grams at birth
Full term
A baby born after 37 weeks and before 42 weeks’ gestation
Gavage
To feed a baby milk through a fine plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach
Gestational age
The age of a foetus or a newborn, usually expressed in weeks dating from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period
Head box
A clear plastic hood placed over baby’s head to increase the level of oxygen they breathe
HELLP
Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets.
IGUR
Intra Ututerine Growth Restriction – usually caused by a problem with the placenta. This results in a ‘small for gestational age’ baby (SGA)
Indomethacin
A chemical agent used to close a patent ductus arteriosus
Intravenous feeding
A method of supplying essential nutrients by infusion into a vein
Intraventricular haemorrhage
(Brain Bleed) A type of bleeding within the ventricular system of the brain
Incubator/Isolette/Humidicrib
An enclosed, see-through, temperature-controlled, sometimes doubled-walled box that gives premature babies environmental protection from bacteria and drafts
Jaundice
The yellow discoloration of a baby’s skin and eyes caused by too much bilirubin in the blood
Kangaroo Care
Skin-to-skin contact where baby is positioned on mum or dad’s bare chest to promote bonding and healing
Meconium
The first bowel movement/stool passed by a newborn, usually dark green and sticky
Meconium aspiration syndrome
A type of pneumonia caused by stool being passed by the baby while still in the womb. The stool can be inhaled into the baby’s lungs and can partially or completely block the baby’s air passage, making breathing difficult
Nasal canula
A small plastic tube placed under the nose to provide oxygen
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)
A bowel condition caused by lack of blood supply. A section of the bowel may become severely inflamed or infected
NICU
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Neonate
A newborn infant, less than 30 days old.
Neonatologist
A physician who specialises in the care of critically ill newborn infants
Oscillator
A type of high frequency ventilator
Oxygen saturation
The level of oxygen in a baby’s blood. Oxygen level is measured by a small probe on the baby’s hand or foot, also by blood samples. This level tells at-a-glance how well oxygen is being carried through the body
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC)
A flexible, thin IV tube put into a vein in the arm, foot, or leg and then routed up into, or near, the heart
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of Newborns (PPHN)
A serious condition that causes the baby to return to its pre-birth route of blood circulation. The baby’s blood is only partially oxygenated through the lungs. This results in very low oxygen levels, plus a higher blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs.
Treatment includes, oxygen, ventilator therapy, medications and/or ECMO. This is also called Persistent Foetal Circulation (PFC).
Phototherapy (or Bililights)
A mode of treatment for jaundice in which the affected infant is placed under special fluorescent lights that break down the structure of the bilirubin so it can be more easily transported to the liver and then excreted from the body
Pneumothorax (pneumo)
Air escapes from the lung into the chest cavity, creating a pocket of air in the wrong place. This pocket of air then presses on the lungs or heart. A chest tube or catheter can be inserted to remove the pocket of air, which lets the lungs re-expand
Pulse oximeter
An electronic monitor that detects oxygen saturation in the blood using a light sensor probe
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)/Hyaline Membrane
A condition in newborns that causes the child to have difficulty breathing. It is caused by an insufficient supply of a chemical called surfactant that helps expand the small air sacs in the lungs
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
An eye disorder, involving the retina that can occur in premature infants
Room air
The ordinary air we breathe which contains 21 per cent oxygen. Oxygen therapy can deliver from 22 – 100 per cent oxygen.
SCN
Special Care Nursery
Sepsis
An infection caused by bacteria
Septic shock
A body infection that causes a drop in stability of the vital signs due to a decrease in heart functioning
Spinal tap
The removal of a small amount of fluid from the spinal canal. The fluid is then analysed for infection, bleeding, and other disorders
Surfactant
A substance in the lungs that helps keep the tiny air sacs from collapsing and sticking together. A lack of this substance contributes to Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)
A condition when a baby breathes with quick, shallow breaths (usually over 80 breaths per minute). It is often caused by fluid in the lungs and will improve as this fluid is absorbed. Some babies need oxygen as this resolves. TTN is often associated with caesarean deliver
Umbilical Catheter, Arterial or Venous (UAC, UVC)
A tube inserted through the belly button (umbilical cord) into the arterial or venous blood vessels. Either tube is used to give the baby fluids and to draw blood samples.
The UAC is used to monitor the baby’s blood pressure. If the baby requires oxygen therapy, the UAC will be used to draw blood gases and blood samples
Ventilator
A machine that fills the baby’s lungs with air and helps the baby breathe – also called a respirator
Ventricles of the brain
Spaces in the brain that contain spinal fluid to bathe and cushion the brain
If you come across any other terms, the NICU staff will always be happy to explain terms to you, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.