Module E: Newborn Care Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers newborn respiratory and cardiovascular adaptation, SIDS risk factors, thermoregulation, hepatic and gastrointestinal systems, hyperbilirubinemia, and metabolic screenings as presented in the Module E lecture notes.

Fetal lung fluid

A fluid produced as lungs mature that reduces surface tension within the alveoli; it is typically absorbed into interstitial spaces within some hours after birth.

Surfactant

A substance that reduces surface tension within the alveoli, usually present in sufficient amounts by $34$ weeks of gestation.

Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)

A condition where infants, especially those born via cesarean delivery without labor, may have moist lung sounds for $24$ hours after birth.

Meconium aspiration syndrome

A condition involving obstruction, chemical pneumonitis, and air trapping caused by meconium entering the lungs during fetal life or at birth.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

The sudden death of an infant younger than $1$ year of age that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy, scene investigation, and case history review.

Back to Sleep Campaign (1994)

An initiative that led to a decrease in SIDS incidence by promoting safe sleep practices.

Ductus arteriosis

One of the three fetal shunts that carries much of the blood away from the lungs during fetal life.

Foramen ovale

A fetal shunt between the right and left sides of the heart; its flap valve closes when heart pressures reverse after birth.

Ductus venosus

A fetal shunt that carries blood away from the liver during fetal life and closes when the umbilical cord is clamped.

Non-shivering thermogenesis

The primary method of heat production in infants, which involves the metabolism of brown fat.

Cold stress

A condition in neonates resulting in increased $O_2$ needs, decreased surfactant production, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis, and jaundice.

Meconium

The first stool excreted by the newborn, which is greenish black with a thick, sticky, tarlike consistency, usually passed within $24$ hours of life.

Kernicterus

Permanent neurologic brain injury caused by the accumulation and staining of brain tissue by unconjugated (indirect) bilirubin.

Physiologic Jaundice

Transient hyperbilirubinemia that is considered normal; it is not present in the first $24$ hours and typically peaks between the $2nd$ and $4th$ days of life.

Non-physiologic (Pathologic) Jaundice

Jaundice that may occur in the first $24$ hours of life, often caused by ABO blood incompatibility, infection, or metabolic disorders.

Breastfeeding Jaundice

Jaundice occurring $3$ to $5$ days after birth, most commonly caused by inadequate intake or ineffective breastfeeding.

True breast milk jaundice

A condition where bilirubin levels rise after the first $3$ to $5$ days because substances in breast milk may interfere with bilirubin conjugation.

Phototherapy

The use of fluorescent lamps or ‘bili’ lights to treat hyperbilirubinemia; side effects include frequent, loose, green stools and increased fluid needs.

Neonatal Hypoglycemia

A condition where an infant's glucose is $\leq 40\,mg/dL$, often signaled by jitteriness, tremors, a high-pitched cry, and poor feeding.

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

A rare genetic deficiency of the enzyme needed to metabolize the essential amino acid phenylalanine, which can lead to central nervous system injury if untreated.

Galactosemia

A group of rare autosomal recessive inherited disorders where the body lacks the liver enzyme to change galactose into glucose for energy.

Tay-Sachs Disease

An autosomal recessive disorder occurring when an individual lacks the enzyme hexosaminidase A, leading to fatty protein build-up in the brain and a characteristic ‘cherry red’ spot in the macula.

Maple Syrup Urine Disease

A potentially deadly disorder affecting the breakdown of leucine, isoleucine, and valine, resulting in high blood levels that cause brain cell degeneration and urine with a maple syrup odor.

Erythromycin

An eye ointment medication administered to newborns to prevent infection.