Premature births occur in one out of every eight pregnancies in the United States each year. According to the March of Dimes, premature babies are at increased risk of developing health problems such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, and hearing and vision difficulties. Many premature babies spend their first weeks or months of life connected to monitors and equipment that help them stay alive, grow and eventually thrive.
NICU
Many premature babies must be taken care of in a special unit of the hospital called the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which is designed to meet preemies' needs. Doctors and nurses in the NICU are specially trained to recognize the complex issues associated with premature births, and have experience using the technical equipment necessary to promote the growth and development of preemies.
Respiratory Assistance
Premature infants who have breathing problems may need assistance that is provided by respiratory equipment. A ventilator is a machine that provides oxygen at a set number of breaths per minute. The infant is intubated with a tube passed through the mouth into the airway. The ventilator is connected to this tube, and air is pushed directly into the baby's lungs. Other types of respiratory technology in the NICU include continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machines; respiratory monitors, which measure breathing rate; and pulse oximeters, which show how much oxygen is in the bloodstream.
Temperature
A premature baby has difficulty maintaining a stable body temperature because he lacks the necessary fat tissue. Most premature babies are placed in a special type of bed that can keep them warm while they're monitored physiologically. Overhead warmers are open beds where a baby lies on a mattress under a large heating unit. An isolette is a clear container in which a baby can sleep surrounded by circulating warm air in a quiet environment.
Nutrition and Heart Rate
Some premature babies must receive nutrients through intravenous (IV) fluids until they can digest milk. An IV is placed under the infant's skin and connected to fluids and medications that constantly drip directly into the vein. Babies who are learning to eat often need feeding tubes, and these are inserted into the nose and extend down into the stomach. Milk in a syringe is then delivered directly into the stomach. Some babies need extensive monitoring of their heart rates. A catheter, called an arterial line, is inserted into an artery to show a constant reading of the preemie's blood pressure.
Testing
There are many diagnostic technologies used in the NICU. These provide a glimpse of underlying illnesses that may require treatment. Radiological images are taken through X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans, to show the internal structures of a baby's body and ways they may be affected by illness or prematurity. An ultrasound is another type of image used to display the structure and tiny vessels of a baby's brain to assess for bleeding.
