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Waiting to Exhale
Premature Babies and Apnea
By Amy E. Tracy
Criteria for discharging a baby on a monitor varies, but if your baby has unresolved apnea, has experienced a life-threatening apnea episode or is going home with supplemental oxygen or a tracheotomy, you'll probably be taking a monitor home.
A recent article by Dr. Rene Santin, a neonatologist at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa., reports that as many as 15 percent to 20 percent of the 400,000 preemies born each year are treated with home monitoring.
But don't panic: Your baby doesn't have to wear the monitor 24/7. In fact, it's only needed when your baby is unattended, such as during sleep and while riding in the car.
Parents often find the monitor alarms both comforting and frightening. "When Casey first came home, I wasn't sure if I'd hear the alarms or if the monitor would work so I wouldn't sleep," says Trout. "I felt like my baby's life was depending on a machine." But Trout says she soon learned to trust the monitor and herself.
According to experts, about 70 to 75 percent of alarms are false, most often caused by loose wires, a poor connection or Baby's movement. That's why it's important for parents to evaluate their baby's color, muscle tone and breathing, says Peterson. "If the baby is not breathing, gently stimulate by flicking the bottom of the feet or rubbing the chest," he says. "If that doesn't help, pick the baby up and pat on the back [but never shake a baby]. If the alarm persists, begin CPR and call 911."
The Apnea Center of Children's Healthcare is one of the largest facilities in the United States that provides monitoring and interpreting of apnea alarms for doctors who may adjust medication or supplemental oxygen. Parents download information through the telephone modem to relay their baby's information. In other communities, respiratory therapists visit the home and call in information to doctors. Peterson says that parents play an important role by charting apnea episodes and other important information, such as what the baby was doing during the episode, the baby's physical characteristics and what action was necessary.
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