Sunday, Sep 26 - Expo Hall Opening
Sunday, Sep 26 - Job Fair
Monday,
Sep 27 - AWHONN's Block Party
Monday, September 27, 2010
: 3:15 PM
Title: Very Low Birth Weight Babies Need Our HeLP!!
Venetian
Discipline: Professional Issues (PI), Newborn (NB)
Learning Objectives:
Submission Description:- Recognize risk factors and resulting sequalae for hypothermia in preterm neonates.
- List modes of heat loss in the preterm neonate.
- Identify methods of reducing hypothermia in the preterm neonate.
Newborn hypothermia is a danger in all deliveries. The World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the Neonatal Resuscitation textbook recommend neonate core temperatures of 36.5 C. Term healthy infants have an intact thermoregulation system, while the preterm and very low birthweight (VLBW) infants have an immature system predisposing them to hypothermia. In addition, many of these VLBW infants are delivered in chilly operating rooms. Interventions to maintain the VLBW infants temperature in the delivery room have been researched, with a resulting guideline from the National Guideline Clearinghouse. These interventions have been dubbed Heat Loss Prevention (HeLP) and have been implemented in a Mid Atlantic urban hospital with a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A literature review, education and a protocol facilitated by a Pediatric Resident and the OB Advanced Practice Nurse was conducted. Collaboration between the High Risk Labor and Delivery Unit and the NICU has resulted in higher neonate temperatures in the VLBW population. Coincidentally, the term infant population core temperature at delivery has increased, due in part to the attention now given to preventing infant hypothermia.
