Technology and Premature Infant Care

Premature babies are cared for in a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for as long as it takes to bring them to function without neonatal technology. The logic behind each of the various pieces of machinery is to simulate aspects of the mother's womb so babies can continue development. Premature infants are released from the NICU when they're able to regulate their body temperature, steadily gain weight, breathe without equipment and bottle or breast-feed.

Beds and Incubators

• Premature infants might be placed in an infant care bed (i.e. warming bed), or in an incubator, depending on immediate needs.

  Doctors use a warming bed when an infant primarily has problems regulating his body temperature because of thin skin and lack of body fat. The lights hanging above the beds, called radiant warmers, allow infants to use their energy for growth rather than to keep warm. NICU nurses place a temperature probe (small flat thermometer) on the baby's skin to monitor his temperature.

  Incubators are mainly for premature infants with underdeveloped immune systems. They're completely covered to protect the baby from germs, with the exception of armholes to allow caregiver and parental contact.

High-Frequency Oscillators

• A high-frequency oscillator (HFO) keeps a baby's lungs open by vibrating airflow in and out at a high rate of speed. Air is circulated through the lungs at 600 to 900 oscillations per minute; each oscillation is a small amount of air. Because the machine keeps the baby's lungs open as it works, the lungs experience less stress from having to open and close on their own. The body thereby puts energy into development rather than simply working to sustain.

Ventilation Equipment

• Ventilators are used to help premature infants breathe. Several NICU machines fall under the ventilator category. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is for a baby who can breathe on his own but needs more oxygen to breath more easily. An oxygen hood plays a similar role to the CPAP machine when fitted over the baby's head. A respirator, connected through the infant's nose or mouth, essentially breathes for the baby, giving air, oxygen and breath rhythm. Ventilators come with humidifiers attached so the baby's lungs don't become dry.

Oxygen Saturation Sensor

• The oxygen saturation sensor, taped to the infant's foot, has a red light capable of shining through the skin and scanning the amount of oxygen in the blood. The sensor connects to an oxygen saturation monitor, which reads oxygen level and then communicates with the ventilation equipment to automatically increase or decrease oxygen flow.

Intravenous Pumps

• NICU nurses and doctors use several methods to supply premature babies with nutrition before they can bottle or breast-feed.

  The intravenous pump (IV) is the machine placed next to the bed, from which nutrients are dispensed on a timed basis. The IV of a premature baby often runs several lines at once. A peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) is fed toward the heart either through an arm, leg or the scalp. It's used to dispense fluids or sample blood.

  Umbilical catheters are important for premature babies; the stub from the cut umbilical cord contains veins and arteries through which the catheter is passed. It can deliver medication or fluids, or provide doctors with a blood-pressure reading and blood samples. IV lines also are placed in veins near the skin's surface to dispense medicine or fluid.