Common Medical Equipment

Over time you will become familiar with the equipment used in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The noises, beeps, clicks, alarms and flashing lights coming from the machines will be strange at first, but these machines are necessary to help care for your baby and seem less intimidating if you know how they are helping. The staff will be happy to explain any equipment to you.

The following is a list of some of the equipment you may see in the unit:

Apnoea monitor: Machine that detects interruptions in breathing and alerts the nurse if breathing has paused.

Bili lights: Bright blue ultraviolet lights also known as phototherapy lights. They are used to treat jaundice, which is the yellowness of the skin caused by too much bilirubin (a product released from red blood cells) in the blood. The lights are placed over the baby’s humidicrib or open care bed and the baby usually only wears a nappy and cloth eye shield. The jaundice usually disappears by three weeks of age. Jaundice is a common affecting up to 70% of newborn babies.

Blood Pressure Monitor: A small cuff is wrapped around the baby’s arm or leg. The cuff automatically takes the blood pressure at regular times and displays the results on the screen. Sometimes blood pressure is monitored by a small tube placed inside an artery and this is displayed continuously on the screen

Cardio Respiratory Monitor: This is sometimes referred to as a heart monitor. Three adhesive patches with wires connected to them are placed on the baby's chest, abdomen, arms or legs. The wires travel to a machine that displays the baby's heart rate, heart beat pattern, breathing rate and breathing pattern. If your baby’s heart rate or breathing pattern is too fast or too slow an alarm will sound.

Chest Drain: Some babies develop small leaks from their lungs into their chest cavities. These infants may require a small drain to be placed to drain this trapped gas. This is easily inserted through the chest wall and is usually removed after a couple of days once the gas has disappeared

C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure): Many premature babies need help with their breathing. One or two soft prongs are inserted into the baby’s nostrils and oxygen (or air) is given under a small amount of pressure. Delivering oxygen under pressure helps keeps the lungs expanded and reduces the amount of effort baby makes to breath. To ensure the pressure is generated inside the baby’s airway it is important to keep your babies mouth closed for this and a small soft chin strap is often used to help the mouth remain closed

Gastric Tube: A soft tube inserted via the mouth or nose into the stomach to give expressed breast milk or formula until babies can suck feed.

Head Box: A small perspex box placed over a baby's head to provide oxygen.

Humidicrib: The humidicrib is also known as an incubator or isolette. It is a clear plastic box, which provides a warm, controlled, clean, enclosed environment where the baby can be easily observed. It helps protect the baby from infection, from using vital energy/calories to keep warm and excess handling. It may have 2 walls to keep out cold air, and inside we often use a high humidity and temperature so babies do not lose water through their skin, which is very thin when they are born premature.

Intravenous Pump: Most sick babies have an intravenous (IV) line, which is used to give fluids, nourishment or medication and some may have an arterial line that is used to monitor blood pressure continuously and allow us to take blood samples without pricking your baby. Intravenous pumps (IV pumps) regulate the rate at which fluids flow in to the baby through these lines, often referred to as “drips”.

Low Flow Oxygen: This is a method of giving oxygen to a baby through a small flexible hollow plastic tube placed in their nostril. The tube is taped to the baby’s face and blows oxygen to the baby through holes in the tube, which are situated just under his/her nose. A baby born extremely premature may even need to go home with nasal cannula oxygen, but this will be organised by the hospital caring for your baby and discussed with you when a decision has been made that this is required.

Nitric Oxide: This is a gas that can sometimes be used in baby’s with particular breathing problems. It is delivered by a machine linked to the ventilator.

Pulse Oximeter: A small device that uses a light sensor to help monitor oxygen levels in the blood. It is usually attached to the baby’s hand or foot and secured in place with a stretchy tape. If the levels are too high or low, alarms will sound ad adjustment can be made to correct the oxygen levels needed.

Radiant Heaters / Open Care Cot: These units keep babies warm while permitting easy access for the nurses and medical staff from all sides during the most critical periods. They are an open bed with special overhead heaters. Some seriously ill babies are nursed under these heaters instead of a humidicrib if they need to be handled frequently or they are too large to be placed in a humidicrib but still require some intensive care treatments.

Temperature Probe: Monitors baby’s skin temperature, the information is used to help regulate the amount of heat from the overhead heater or humidicrib.

Umbilical Venous and Arterial Catheters: The umbilicus has been feeding your baby when they were still in the womb. After birth we often use the blood vessels in the umbilical cord to place small catheters through which we can deliver medication, nutrition and measure blood pressure and take blood samples. If your baby has these catheters placed the care team can show them to you and explain them further.

Urinary Catheter: If your baby requires urine to be collected or measured a catheter is sometimes placed into the bladder, where urine is collected. This is soft and will be removed once you baby is passing urine adequately.

Ventilator: If CPAP isn’t enough to support your baby’s breathing, a small plastic tube (ETT) may be inserted through the baby’s nose or mouth down into the trachea (windpipe). The windpipe is what enters our lungs and allows us to deliver oxygen or air under pressure directly into the lungs. The ET tube is then connected to a ventilator (or respirator). The ventilator is a machine that delivers warmed and humidified air or oxygen into the baby’s lungs. It may take over the baby’s breathing completely, or help support the baby’s own breathing efforts. The amount of oxygen, pressure and number of breaths per minute can be regulated to meet each baby’s needs. Sometimes a different ventilator is used that can wobble your baby’s chest this is called a high frequency ventilator. It is used to provide less pressure but at a much faster rate. Both forms of ventilator will be explained by the nursing or medical staff in the unit where your baby is being cared for.