Question 1

What does the nursing care for infants with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) include?

Accepted Answer

Infants with FAS have characteristic poor feeding behaviors that persist throughout childhood. The nurse assists in devising strategies to improve nutrition. The infant is protected from overstimulation. FAS does not include cardiovascular problems. The effects of FAS do not depend on the quantity of maternal alcohol consumption.

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a neonate with respiratory distress syndrome. The infant has an endotracheal tube. What should nursing considerations related to suctioning include?

Accepted Answer

Suctioning is not an innocuous procedure and can cause bronchospasm, bradycardia, hypoxia, and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). It should never be carried out routinely. The Trendelenburg position should be avoided because it can contribute to increased ICP and reduced lung capacity from gravity pushing the organs against the diaphragm.

Question 3

The nurse is caring for a newborn who was born at 35 weeks of gestation and is considered a late preterm infant. What intervention should be included in the infant's care plan?

Accepted Answer

Late preterm infants can usually tolerate skin-to-skin care in the immediate postpartum period, which enhances the bonding process with the parents. A late preterm infant should be given an early feeding of human milk or formula; dextrose water is not required for the first feeding. The hepatitis B vaccine and all newborn screening, including the hearing test, should be done before discharge, with no limitation on corrected age.

Question 4

A preterm infant with respiratory distress syndrome is receiving inhaled nitric oxide (NO). What is the reason for administering the inhaled nitric oxide?

Accepted Answer

NO is used for infants with conditions such as meconium aspiration syndrome, pneumonia, sepsis, and congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Most infants with these disorders do have mature lungs. NO is not oxygen. Inhaled NO is beneficial for infants with meconium aspiration syndrome, but it does not work by removing debris. Inhaled NO is a significant treatment for infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary vasoconstriction, and subsequent acidosis and severe hypoxia. When inhaled into the lungs, it causes smooth muscle relaxation and reduction of pulmonary vasoconstriction and subsequent pulmonary hypertension.

Question 5

Which is a central factor responsible for respiratory distress syndrome in a newborn?

Accepted Answer

The successful adaptation to extrauterine breathing requires numerous factors, which most term infants successfully accomplish. Preterm infants with respiratory distress are not able to adjust. The most likely central cause is the abnormal development of the surfactant system. The number and state of development of the alveoli are not central factors in respiratory distress syndrome. The instability of the alveoli related to the lack of surfactant is the causative issue. The bronchioles are sufficiently developed in newborns.

Question 6

What is a characteristic of most neonatal seizures?

Accepted Answer

Seizures in newborns may be subtle and barely discernible or grossly apparent. Most neonatal seizures are subcortical and do not have the etiologic or prognostic significance of seizures in older children. Clonic seizures are slow, rhythmic jerking movements. Generalized seizures are bilateral jerks of the upper and lower limbs that are associated with electroencephalographic discharges. Neonatal seizures are not well organized.

Question 7

The nurse is caring for a preterm neonate who requires mechanical ventilation for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome. Because of the mechanical ventilation, the nurse should recognize an increased risk of what?

Accepted Answer

Positive pressure introduced by mechanical apparatus has created an increase in the incidence of ruptured alveoli and subsequent pneumothorax and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Tachypnea may be an indication of a pneumothorax, but it should not be transient. Meconium aspiration is not associated with mechanical ventilation. Retractions and nasal flaring are indications of the use of accessory muscles when the infant cannot obtain sufficient oxygen. The use of mechanical ventilation bypasses the infant's need to use these muscles.

Question 8

A preterm infant of 33 weeks of gestation is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Approximately 2 hours after birth, the neonate begins having difficulty breathing, with grunting, tachypnea, and nasal flaring. What should the nurse recognize?

Accepted Answer

These are signs of respiratory distress syndrome and require further evaluation. There is no way to predict the infant's clinical course based on the available data. Cyanosis may be present, but these are significant findings indicative of respiratory distress even without cyanosis.

Question 9

What is the most common cause of iatrogenic anemia in preterm infants?

Accepted Answer

The most common cause of anemia in preterm infants is frequent blood-sample withdrawal and inadequate erythropoiesis in acutely ill infants. Microsamples should be used for blood tests, and the amount of blood drawn should be monitored. Respiratory distress syndrome, meconium aspiration syndrome, and persistent pulmonary hypertension are not causes of anemia. They may require frequent blood sampling, which contributes to the problem of decreased erythropoiesis and anemia.

Question 10

What signs should the nurse expect when a pneumothorax occurs in an infant on mechanical ventilation?

Accepted Answer

The early signs of a pneumothorax in an infant on mechanical ventilations include the abrupt onset of duskiness or cyanosis. Tachypnea is the presenting sign. Usually the heart rate is decreased. The heart sounds usually become muffled, diminished, or shifted. The pulse pressure decreases in pneumothorax.

Question 11

A newborn is diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity. What should the nurse know about this condition?

Accepted Answer

Cryotherapy and laser photocoagulation therapy can be used to minimize the vascular proliferation process that causes the retinal damage. Blindness can be prevented with early recognition and treatment. Long-term administration of oxygen is one of the causes. Oxygen should be used judiciously.

Question 12

What is a priority of care for an infant with an intraventricular hemorrhage?

Accepted Answer

The priority goal is to decrease intracranial pressure (ICP). Allowing the infant to cry will cause an increase in pressure. Analgesia is used as necessary to maintain the child pain free. This reduces ICP. The infant should be positioned with the body and head in the midline position. Turning the child's head to the right side can cause cerebral venous congestion and increased ICP. The child should have minimum stimulation to avoid increases in ICP.

Question 13

What are possible premature infant complications from oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation?

Accepted Answer

Oxygen therapy, although lifesaving, is not without hazards. The positive pressure created by mechanical ventilation creates an increase in the number of ruptured alveoli and subsequent pneumothorax and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Oxygen therapy puts the infant at risk for retinopathy of prematurity. Anemia, necrotizing enterocolitis, cerebral palsy, persistent patent ductus, congestive heart failure, and cerebral edema are not primarily caused by oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation.

Question 14

What should the nurse anticipate in an infant who was exposed to cocaine during pregnancy?

Accepted Answer

The nurse should anticipate neurobehavioral depression or excitability and implement care directed at the infant's manifestations. Few or no neurologic sequelae appear in infants born to mothers who used cocaine during pregnancy. The infant is usually a poor feeder, so hypoglycemia should be more likely than hyperglycemia. The infant usually has intrauterine growth restriction.

Question 15

The parents of an infant who has just died decide they want to hold the infant after their infant has gone to the morgue. What is the most appropriate nursing intervention at this time?

Accepted Answer

The parents should be allowed to hold their infant in the hospital setting. The infant's body should be retrieved and rewarmed in a radiant warmer. The nurse should provide a private place where the parents can hold their child for a final time. If possible, to facilitate the parents' grieving, the nurse should bring the infant back to the unit. A photograph is an excellent idea, but it does not replace the parents' need to hold the child.

Question 16

Which statement best describes the characteristics of preterm infants?

Accepted Answer

Reflex activity is only partially developed. Sucking is absent, weak, or ineffectual. Thermoregulation is poorly developed, and a preterm infant needs to be in a neutral thermal environment. A preterm infant may be listless and inactive compared with the overall attitude of flexion and activity of a full-term infant. A preterm infant's head is proportionately larger than the body.

Question 17

Women who smoke during pregnancy are most likely to have infants who are what?

Accepted Answer

Infants born to mothers who smoke have retardation in all aspects of growth. Infants of mothers with diabetes are large for gestational age. Infants of mothers who smoke are small for gestational age.

Question 18

Which is a characteristic of postmature infants?

Accepted Answer

In postterm infants, the skin is often cracked, parchment-like, and desquamating. Lanugo is usually absent. Scalp hair is usually abundant. Subcutaneous fat is usually depleted, giving the child a thin, elongated appearance.

Question 19

What is most descriptive of the signs observed in neonatal sepsis?

Accepted Answer

The signs of neonatal sepsis are usually characterized by the infant generally "not doing well." Poor temperature control, usually with hypothermia, lethargy, poor feeding, pallor, cyanosis or mottling, and jaundice, may be evident. Seizures are not a manifestation of sepsis. Severe neurologic sequelae may occur in low-birth-weight infants with sepsis. Hyperthermia is rare in neonatal sepsis. Urinary output is not affected by sepsis.

Question 20

An infant of a mother with herpes simplex infection has just been born. What should nursing considerations include?

Accepted Answer

The herpes virus can be transmitted to the infant intrapartum or by direct contact. The mother and infant should room together in a private room to reduce the risk of transmission to other infants and mothers. The infant should be kept with the mother. Placement in the nursery creates the possibility of transmission of the virus. Immediate discharge is not necessary. Good handwashing and a private room will minimize the risk of transmission while allowing the mother and infant to receive postpartum care.

Quiz 9: The High-Risk Newborn and Family