NICU Terms

I have been using a lot of acronyms and phrases that I sometimes forget do not necessarily make sense outside of the medical world. I thought it would be helpful to have this to reference back to whenever you read something that doesn't necessarily make sense. I will try update it as new terms come along.



Desat - (short for desaturation) oxygen saturation drops below specified parameters (typically below 86)
Breakthrough seizure - a seizure that has occured while on medication (phenobarbital)
Grade 1 brain bleed - bleeding has occured inside the brain at the germinal matrix only
Grade 2 brain bleed - bleeding is present both in the germinal matrix and in the ventricals
PDA - Patent ductus arteriosus; an artery in the heart that is used to bypass the lungs in utero. It is supposed to close off shortly after birth but sometimes requires medication or surgery to close. (Medication - endocin) Detectable as a murmur
PFO - Patent foramen ovale; common even in full term infants - an opening between the left and right atria (upper chambers) that is supposed to close off soon after birth. Small PFOs are usually self-correcting.
Blood/Gas levels - checked every 8-12 hours, looks at the volume of CO2, Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, etc. used to determine need of additional blood, oxygen, etc.
CPT treatments - respiratory treatment in which small vibrations are applied along the chest & back to help break up mucus.
Transpiloric - small tube fed down the throat through the mouth which bypasses the stomach for feeding breast milk or formula into the beginning of the small intenstines. Purpose is to prevent regurgitation of feedings.
OG tube - small tube fed through the mouth into the stomach to check for gas and residuals in the stomach
Residuals - pulled through the OG tube, this checks for proper digestion of milk when feedings are fed into the stomach (via the OG tube if intubated or an NG tube if not on oxygen support).
TPN - total parenteral nutrition; adjusted each day according to their nutritional needs, this is how the boys receive their nutrition when not on full breast milk feeds. As the breastmilk feedings increase, the TPN is decreased until the boys are on "full feeds".
NPO - typically meaning no feeds by mouth. In the NICU, it means baby is solely on TPN with no breastmilk feedings.
NP - nurse practitioner; one of our main contacts regarding the boys' care, procedures, etc.
PICC - Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter; tube inserted into the vein and threaded until it reaches the heart. This can remain in place for a long time and is used to deliver medications and fluids.
UAC - Umbilical artery catheter; a small piece of tubing threaded into the baby's artery in the umbilical stump. The tube delivers fluids, medications, and nutrients, and can be used to draw blood.