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Apgar: The Apgar score is calculated 1 minute after birth, and repeated at 5 minutes. A perfect score is 10. 0, 1, or 2 points are given to each category:
Appearance (color)
0 - Blue all over
1 - Body pink, extremities blue
2 - Body and extremities pink
Pulse:
0 - No pulse
1 - less than 100
2 - greater than 100
Grimace (response to a catheter in the nostril)
0 - No response
1 - slight grimace/small cry
2 - sneeze/cough/pull away
Activity (muscle tone)
0 - none
1 - some movement
2 - active
Respiratory effort
0 - none
1 - weak or irregular
2 - strong
It's common for preemies to have a relatively high Apgar score at 1 minute, but the score drops after a few minutes as they tire out.
Apnea: When breathing stops for 10 seconds or more. Very common in preemies.
"Bagging": Using an ambu-bag - a bag connected to oxygen is attached to either an oxygen mask or an ET tube, and is squeezed to force air into the lungs. Kind of like a manual ventilator. Often used when an ET tube is taken out, to stimulate breathing.(Picture of a preemie-sized ambu-bag) (Picture of an ambu-bag being used)
Betamethasone: A steroid given to mature a premature baby’s lungs before birth
Bilirubin: The product of the normal chemical breakdown of red blood cells. Normally, the liver processes the bilirubin and excretes it through bile, but sometimes the product builds up, causing jaundice.
“Bradying down”: When the heart rate starts falling. Bradycardia is an abnormally slow heart rate
Braxton-Hicks contractions: False labor - a tightening of the uterine muscles for one to two minutes and is thought to be an aid to the body in its preparation for birth.
CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - puffs of air delivered through the nose to help remind a baby to breathe. Often used in premature babies after they’re able to breathe on their own.
Crit: Short for hematocrit - the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells. The lower a crit is, the higher the risk of DIC.
DIC: Abbreviation for disseminated intravascular coagulation - when the body stops producing clotting factors, causing severe bleeding.
Epi: Epinephrine, the synthetic form of adrenalin - Jump-starts the heart.
ET Tube: Short for endotracheal tube. A tube put into the trachea to deliver oxygen to the lungs.
FFP: Fresh frozen plasma - plasma, used to help blood clot during DIC
Foley catheter: A tube inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine. (lovely, I know.)
IJ Line: Intra-Jugular Line - An IV inserted into the jugular vein. Used in transfusions to deliver blood quickly.
Intubation: Putting an ET tube down the trachea
Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin caused by a build-up of bilirubin.
Kangaroo Care: Skin-to-skin contact between parents and a preemie. Studies have shown that preemies grow faster and are less stressed when kangaroo care is used. It also facilitates bonding.
NG tube: Naso-gastric tube - a tube inserted in the nose that goes down to the stomach to deliver food. Premature babies usually can’t suck from a breast or bottle at first, so formula or breast milk is delivered via NG tube until the baby can suck.
Packed cells: Blood that has been processed to have a high concentration of red blood cells; used in transfusions to help blood clot.
Phototherapy: UV light to treat jaundice. UV rays break down bilirubin so the body can process it. In the hospital, a UV lamp is used, but for mild cases outside of the hospital, a few minutes of sunlight exposure every day can treat it.
Placental abruption: When the placenta begins to tear away from the uterus before the baby is born, which cuts off blood and oxygen supply to the baby, and causes bleeding in the mom.
Pulse ox: Measurement of the amount of oxygen in the blood. Normal is between 95-100%
Reflux: The backward flow of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus. Common in preemies due to a weak or underdeveloped esophageal sphincter (the band of muscles that separate the esophagus from the stomach.) The sphincter is only supposed to open to allow food to go into the stomach, but in reflux, it either opens spontaneously, or stays open, and allows stomach acids to flow into the esophagus. Which causes pain and, in severe cases, erosion of the esophagus.
Retracting: When a baby is struggling to breathe, their chest kind of pulls in with each breath.
Rounds: When the doctors from a certain department examine each patient, and review and brief each other on the cases, one by one. Medical students often tag along for learning purposes.
Surfactant: A substance produced by the lungs to keep them open, but isn’t produced in premature babies, so a synthetic form helps open up the baby’s lungs so they can oxygenate more easily
“Tachy” (pronounced “tacky”): Short for “tachycardia” - an abnormally fast heart rate
Terbutaline: A medication given to stop premature labor
Ventilator (abbr. “vent”): A machine that simulates breathing
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Author's Chapter Notes:
There's a lot of medical terminology in this story, so here are the translations.
Chapter End Notes:
If there's a term you don't know that I didn't explain, let me know!
FlonkertonChamp is the author of 6 other stories.
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This story is part of the series, J.D. & Mollie. The next story in the series is In His Hands.
