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Reduce premature stress related to feeding

Premature infants are at increased risk for intestinal injury because their gut motility, digestion, absorption, and circulatory regulation have not matured.1Moreover, the infant's immune defenses and the physical barriers that protect that infant's gut wall are impaired.1

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) 

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious and often fatal inflammatory bowel disease associated with enteral (tube) feeding in premature neonates.1,2 What causes NEC is not fully understood, but in combination with the immature gut, "enteral (especially formula) feeding, colonization with pathogenic bacteria and an exaggerated inflammatory response" may result in intestinal injury.2

Insertion of a nasogastric tube may cause stress to the very premature infant.3

In addition, more serious feeding-related events can occur. For example, connecting a feeding tube to an I.V. line is a potentially fatal event.4 In adult, pediatric, and infant patient populations, enteral tube misconnections have resulted in a range of outcomes that have included septicemia/sepsis, respiratory arrest/distress, and neurologic damage.4

10% of Premature Infants

About 10% of premature infants <1500 grams at birth experience necrotizing enterocolitis.2

The Vulnerable Brain of Preterm Infants

Brain growth and development in preterm infants requires adequate nutrition.5 Preterm infants are at increased risk of some nutrient deficiencies, and fetal malnutrition has been linked with long-term consequences such as cognitive impairments and learning disabilities.5

Premature babies have extreme central nervous system vulnerability and may be susceptible to the long-lasting changes in physical structure and operation of the brain associated with premature birth.3,6 Optimizing protein and energy intake may have neuroprotective benefits for the preterm infant, although the evidence to date is limited and inconsistent.5 Nutritional therapies may help prevent infection and necrotizing enterocolitis.5 They may also decrease inflammation and help minimize injury to the brain’s white matter.5

24 and 40 Weeks

Rapid brain development between 24 and 40 weeks of gestation makes preterm infants extremely susceptible to brain injury.5

What you can do to reduce stress in the NICU

  • Ventilation - delivering synchronized breath, with both invasive and non-invasive ventilation, can have important benefits for neonates.7
  • Patient monitoring - providing continuous SpO2, pulse rate, and respiration rate monitoring, so clinicians may detect respiratory complications earlier and intervene sooner.8,9,10
  • Procedural stress - reducing any associated pain, discomfort, or risk of infection may help.

Discover below which respiratory & monitoring products from Medtronic can help reducing stress of neonatal patients.

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Puritan Bennett™ Neomode 2.0 Patient Software

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INVOS™ 5100C Cerebral/Somatic Oximeter

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Microsteam™ Capnography

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Nellcor™ SpO2 Adhesive Sensors

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Nellcor™ SpO2 Non-Adhesive Sensors

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INVOS™ OxyAlert™ NIRSensors Cerebral/Somatic Oximetry

For infants and neonates

Acute Care & Monitoring

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  • 1. Choi YY. Necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns: update in pathophysiology and newly emerging therapeutic strategies. Korean J Pediatr. 2014;57(12):505-513.
  • 2. Costello JM, McQuillen PS, Claud EC, Steinhorn RH. Prematurity and congenital heart disease. World J Pediatr Congenital Heart Surg. 2011;2(3):457-467.
  • 3. Newnham CA, Inder TE, Milgrom J. Measuring preterm cumulative stressors within the NICU: the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale. Early Hum Dev. 2009;85(9):549-555.
  • 4. Simmons D, Symes L, Guenter P, Graves K. Tubing misconnections: normalization of deviance. Nutr Clin Pract. 2011;26:286-293.
  • 5. Kuenen K, van Elburg RM, van Bel F, Benders MJNL. Impact of nutrition on brain development and its neuroprotective implications following preterm birth. Pediatr Res. 2015;77(1):148-155.
  • 6. Salmaso N, Jablonska B, Scafidi J, Vaccarino FM, Gallo V. Neurobiology of premature brain injury. Nat Neurosci. 2014;17(3):341-346.
  • 7. Mahmoud RA, Proquitté H, Fawzy N, Bührer C, Schmalisch G. Tracheal tube airleak in clinical practice and impact on tidal volume measurement in ventilated neo¬nates. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2011;12(2):197-202
  • 8. Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert: Issue #49, pp1-4, August 8, 2012. (Available at www.jointcommission.org).
  • 9. ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring, Committee of Origin: Standards and Practice Parameters (Approved by the ASA House of Delegates on October 21, 1986, and last amended on October 20, 2010 with an effective date of July 1, 2011, excerpt from section 3.2.4.
  • 10. Essential Monitoring Strategies to Detect Clinically Significant Drug-Induced Respira¬tory Depression in the Postoperative Period. Prepared by Stoelting, R. and Overdyk, F. http://www.apsf.org/announcements.php?id=7.
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