Tuesday, August 7, 2007

08/07/07

Matthew had a really good night. The NICU called this morning with their update this morning.

Since last night Matthew has not needed any oxygen support. He is still on the vwnt to help him keep his lungs open but with any luck, today they will take him off the vent and put him on either CPAP1 or a nasal cannula2 depending on how he is doing.

If/when he comes off the vent today, he will get to start eating. This is also great because it'll help him grow and get him closer to coming home.

He hasn't had any blood pressure problems since last night at 11, which is also really good news.

On Thursday Matthew will have two ultrasounds. The first will be on his head to look for any bleeds as a result of his prematurity. The second will be of his renal organs. Since he is a two vessel baby, they want to be sure his kidneys are functioning properly. So far, he is doing great, but they want to be sure.

In order for Matthew to come home, he has to be able to maintain his own body temp for 48 hours, Matthew will have to be breathing room air, Matthew has to be getting all of his foofs by mouth and Matthew has to be steadily gaining weight.

Matthew has some really mild jaundice, which is expected in preemies. We'll see him soon, so keep any eye out for more pictures!


1 When infants are disconnected from a mechanical ventilator, often they require a form of assisted breathing called nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A nasal CPAP device consists of a large tube with tiny prongs that fit into the baby's nose, which is hooked to a machine that provides oxygenated air into the baby's air passages and lungs. The pressure from the CPAP machine helps keep a preemie's lungs open so he or she can breathe. However, the machine does not provide breaths for the baby, so the baby breathes on his or her own.

2
The nasal cannula is a device used in the hospital, in a pre-hospital setting, or at home to deliver supplemental oxygen to a patient or person in need of extra oxygen. This device consists of a plastic tube which fits behind the ears, and a set of two prongs which are placed in the nose or nares. Oxygen flows from these prongs.[1] The nasal cannula is connected to an oxygen tank, a portable oxygen generator, or to a wall connection in a hospital via a flowmeter. The nasal cannula flows from one liter per minute to 6 liters per minute of oxygen. There are also infant or neonatal nasal cannulas which flow less than one liter per minute; these also have smaller prongs.

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