The nurse in the newborn intensive care unit is caring for a low birth-weight newborn, born at 36-weeks' gestation, who was delivered in a car en route to the hospital in a snowstorm. Which statement by a parent of the newborn indicates a lack of understanding of the risks of hypothermia?
A) "My baby is burning calories at a higher rate."
B) "My baby is under a radiant warmer because he doesn't have enough body fat to keep warm."
C) "Now that my baby is warmed, I can give him a bath outside the warmer."
D) "When my baby is out of the warmer, I need to keep him wrapped."
C) "Now that my baby is warmed, I can give him a bath outside the warmer."
Explanation: A) The full-term neonate depends on nonshivering thermogenesis by increased fat oxidation from brown adipose tissue, which at room temperature has a metabolic cost of about 150 kcal/min.
B) For neonates, the behavioral responsibilities for survival and thermal balance rest with caregivers to provide warmth, ensure oxygenation for infant breathing, and support heat conservation. Low-birth-weight neonates are particularly at risk for several reasons. Their thin skin and subcutaneous tissue provide poor insulation from heat loss, and their flaccid positions do little to conserve heat. They have lower amounts of brown adipose tissue deposits, which are therefore less able to support nonshivering thermogenesis.
C) Preterm infants and newborns have a vulnerability and high potential for central heat loss from the infant's circulation through the skin to the cooler ambient air, cold surfaces, and bed linen. A bath will increase heat loss through evaporation and convection. The metabolic activity required to convert brown adipose tissue into heat requires extra oxygen, so the cold-stressed infant often experiences respiratory distress when exposed to unwarmed environmental air.
D) For neonates, the behavioral responsibilities for survival and thermal balance rest with caregivers to provide warmth, ensure oxygenation for infant breathing, and support heat conservation.
You might also like to view...
______________ is the values, ideas, customs, attitudes, roles, behaviors, and arts of given groups of people
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
A new graduate nurse is assigned six clients to care for on a medical unit. Without asking anyone for help, by the end of the shift, the nurse is visibly upset and states, "I can't do this anymore
" What characteristic of critical thinking has this nurse not developed? A) Show confidence B) Aware of their own limitations C) Humble D) Willing to persevere
An adult client has lost a leg after being pinned between a wall and a forklift truck at work. The nurse diagnoses that the client has Body image disturbance
Which of the following would be the most helpful initial approach the nurse could take to help the client work through grief about the loss of the leg? 1. Stress that the client should look at the stump of the amputated leg. 2. Ask the client whether the client feels very angry about the accident. 3. Make no reference at all to the accident or the surgery. 4. Allow the client time to mentally process the event.
The school nurse is counseling children with specific learning disabilities. Which of the following is a nursing consideration when caring for these children?
A) Set higher goals than they are considered to achieve. B) Create a stimulating environment for the child. C) Use positive reinforcement and patience when teaching the child. D) Do not adjust healthcare teaching for the child.