Essay on Neonatal Jaundice

Words: 1489
Pages: 6
Open Document
Newborn jaundice
Newborn jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The increased bilirubin causes the infant's skin and whites of the eyes (sclera) to look yellow.

Causes
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that is created in the body during the normal recycling of old red blood cells. The liver helps break down bilirubin so that it can be removed from the body in the stool.

Before birth, the placenta -- the organ that nourishes the developing baby -- removes the bilirubin from the infant so that it can be processed by the mother's liver. Immediately after birth, the baby's own liver begins to take over the job, but this can take time. Therefore, bilirubin levels in an infant are normally a little higher …show more content…
In this procedure, the baby's blood is replaced with fresh blood. Treating severely jaundiced babies with intravenous immunoglobulin may also be very effective at reducing bilirubin levels.

Outlook (Prognosis)
Usually newborn jaundice is not harmful. For most babies, jaundice usually gets better without treatment within 1 to 2 weeks.

Very high levels of bilirubin can damage the brain. This is called kernicterus. However, the condition is almost always diagnosed before levels become high enough to cause this damage.

For babies who need treatment, the treatment is usually effective.

Possible Complications
Rare, but serious, complications from high bilirubin levels include:

Cerebral palsy
Deafness
Kernicterus -- brain damage from very high bilirubin levels
When to Contact a Medical Professional
All babies should be seen by a health care provider in the first 5 days of life to check for jaundice.

Those who spend less than 24 hours in a hospital should be seen by age 72 hours.
Infants sent home between 24 and 48 hours should be seen again by age 96 hours.
Infants sent home between 48 and 72 hours should be seen again by age 120 hours.
Jaundice is an emergency if the baby has a fever, has become listless, or is not feeding well. Jaundice may be dangerous in high-risk newborns.

Jaundice is generally NOT dangerous in term, otherwise healthy newborns. Call the infant's health care provider if:

Jaundice is severe (the skin is bright
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Neonatal Jaundice

Neonatal Jaundice Research Paper

Neonatal Jaundice Neonatal Jaundice is a clinical sign characterized by the yellowing of the skin, sclera ( whites of the eyes) and mucous membranes within the neonatal period. Jaundice is seen when there is an increase of bilirubin in the blood ( hyperbilirubinemia ) greater than 5 mg / dl of blood . In newborns it is as common as 60 % to 85 % in term and preterm infants respectively. Neonatal jaundice can further be classified as pathologic and non-pathologic. Physiologic Jaundice This is the…

Words 719 - Pages 3

Essay on Chapter 012 LO 1

precautions that must be observed when collecting blood for bilirubin testing. Copyright © 2008 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Learning Objectives    Explain the usual procedure for collecting blood for neonatal screening tests, and list five tests that may be done. Explain physical changes that may occur with aging that should be considered when collecting blood. List conditions that may require blood draws for an extended period of time, and alternative…

Words 2043 - Pages 9

OB Neonatal Daily Worksheet 2013 Essay

OB/Neonatal Daily Worksheet Name: _______Shiann Martin____________ You need to obtain this information for each client (except when doing the postpartum assessment). This worksheet will assist you in developing a daily plan of care, receiving and giving shift report, and discussing your client in post-conference. Age ___25____ EDD ___4/15/15________ Weeks gestation _____36 wks_________ GBS status:___Not tested_____ Treatment received for + GBS_____Not tested______ Pertinent medical history:…

Words 655 - Pages 3

Essay on List of Common Medical Terminology

hCG= (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced during pregnancy that is made by the developing placenta after conception, and later by the placental component syncytiotrophoblast. Fertilization= is the union of a humanoid egg and sperm, usually occurring in the ampulla of the uterine tube. The result of this union is the production of a zygote, or fertilized egg, initiating prenatal development Pituitary gland= A small oval endocrine gland attached to the base of the vertebrate brain…

Words 1288 - Pages 6

Essay about Tyrosinemia Type III

TYPE III TYROSINEMIA Abstract Tyrosinemia happens at whatever point both parents carry a latent gene characteristic for the condition. Both parents regularly have no signs or side effects of tyrosinemia which happens at whatever point their future generations inherits one duplicate of the mutated gene from each one parent. Type III tyrosinemia is a very rare disorder with only a couple of cases ever reported. Type III tyrosinemia is brought about by an insufficiency of the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate…

Words 1972 - Pages 8

Essay on Why Wait Thirty-Eight Weeks

baby born seven days early suffers from five times as many problems than a baby that was carried to full term. (1) Neonatal Depression is just one of the things that can happen. This happens when babies that have a reaction to the anesthesia that was given to the mother. This causes a period of inactivity or sluggishness after delivery. Also babies are more likely to suffer from jaundice, respiratory problems and/or low blood pressure. Labor triggers the release of hormones that help a babies lungs…

Words 940 - Pages 4

Essay on Obstetrics: Obstetrics and Routine Care

offered an OGTT at 24-28 weeks currently the same WHO diagnostic criteria are used as for non-pregnant patients. There is however increasing evidence that a lower threshold should be used as treating borderline patients improves both maternal and neonatal outcomes NICE issued guidelines on the management of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy in 2008 Management of pre-existing diabetes weight loss for women with BMI of > 27 kg/m^2 stop oral hypoglycaemic agents, apart from metformin, and commence…

Words 4270 - Pages 18

Childbirth and Preterm Infant Essay

identify at risk = indicator • Neonatal mortatlity chart is useful tool to identify at risk • Birth weight and gestational age are criterias used to assess maturity and morbidity • Preterm: < 37 weeks (late preterm 34-37 weeks), term: 37-40 weeks, and postterm: >42 weeks • LGA = above 90th percentile, SGA, between 10th percentile • Assigned depending in birth weight, length, occipital-frontal head circum, gestational age • Neonatal mortatlity risk is the infant’s chance…

Words 4709 - Pages 19

Pregnancy And Conception Matetal Development: Assessment Of Maternal Health

Pregnancy / Conception Fetal Development * Assessment of Maternal Health * Preconception care Identify communicable diseases- immunization status, STI’s, CMV, 5th disease, TB Toxoplasmosis, Listeriosis Toxic exposures Lifestyle/fitness * Genetic risks family pedigree Menstrual Cycle Additional resource- http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/problem_sets/Human_Reproduction/05t.html * Menarche 9-16 years cycle length 21-36 phases – ovarian, endometrial…

Words 3456 - Pages 14

Cystic Fibrosis Research Paper

Cystic Fibrosis: The Lungs’ Worst Enemy Ayde Blanco, Noelia Ezquivel, Hannah Jiao, Elaine Proa Texas A&M International University Abstract Cystic Fibrosis, a recessively genetic received disease, is a dangerous lung defect that occurs in almost 200,000 people each year. It is only inherited and works by damaging the lungs and the digestive system. It hazardously affects cells that create mucus, sweat, and digestive juices inside of your body. While these fluids are meant to act as a…

Words 1551 - Pages 7