Neonatal Complications and High-Risk Newborn Flashcards
6 cards from real Maternal Newborn Nursing Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Neonatal Complications and High-Risk Newborn flashcards as text
A newborn shows signs of hypocalcemia at 24 hours of life. Which risk factor is most directly associated with early neonatal hypocalcemia?
Answer: Maternal diabetes mellitus
Infants of diabetic mothers are at increased risk for hypocalcemia because maternal hyperglycemia suppresses fetal parathyroid function, and neonatal calcium regulation is impaired after birth.
A newborn is diagnosed with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). Which clinical finding is most characteristic?
Answer: Barrel-shaped chest and patchy infiltrates on X-ray with hyperinflation
MAS causes air trapping from ball-valve obstruction by meconium particles, resulting in a barrel-shaped chest and the characteristic patchy, hyperinflated appearance on chest X-ray.
A 4-hour-old newborn in the nursery begins having tonic-clonic movements of the face and extremities. What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer: Check blood glucose level immediately
Hypoglycemia is a common and reversible cause of neonatal seizures; a bedside glucose check should be the first step because treatment is immediate and can abort the seizure.
A preterm infant weighing 1,100 g at 29 weeks is admitted to the NICU. What is the appropriate method of thermoregulation for this infant?
Answer: Radiant warmer with humidity or incubator with high humidity setting
Extremely preterm infants lack subcutaneous fat and have immature skin permeability; they require a servo-controlled incubator or radiant warmer with high humidity to minimize heat and water loss.
A newborn with suspected sepsis has a white blood cell count of 4,000 cells/mcL. What does this finding indicate?
Answer: Leukopenia, which is an ominous sign of overwhelming infection
A WBC below 5,000 cells/mcL (leukopenia) in a neonate indicates the bone marrow cannot keep up with bacterial consumption of white cells, suggesting overwhelming sepsis with poor prognosis.
A nurse is caring for a neonate receiving phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia. The infant's skin appears bronze-colored. What does this indicate?
Answer: Bronze baby syndrome, a complication of phototherapy in infants with cholestatic jaundice
Bronze baby syndrome occurs when phototherapy is used in infants with conjugated (direct) hyperbilirubinemia; photodegradation products of conjugated bilirubin accumulate in the skin, causing a bronze discoloration.