Glossary of Terms

The world of neonatal intensive care has a language all of its own. Here are some of the common medical terms and abbreviations. If your baby's nurse or doctor uses a term that you don't understand, please ask.

Apnoea
Short period of time when a baby stops breathing. The baby may turn blue, become bradycardic and require gentle stimulation to remind them to breathe.

Apnoea mattress
A device placed under a baby which responds to a baby's apnoea.

Bradycardia (brady)
When baby's heart rate drops below 100 beats per minute.

Blood gas
Blood taken regularly from an Umbilical Arterial Catheter or via a heel prick to measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide content of the blood.

Blood glucose
The level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Cardiac Monitor
Used to measure the baby's heart rate.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
A type of ventilation that delivers oxygen or air under pressure to baby through their nose.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
The gas produced by metabolism that has to be removed by the lungs.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Resuscitation to re-establish breathing and the heart rate

Cannula
A small plastic tube that is inserted into a blood vessel using a needle.

Chronic lung disease
Difficulty with breathing & dependence on oxygen following a period of ventilation, common in very premature infants.

Endocarditis
Inflammation of the lining of the heart or heart valves

Endotracheal
Within the tracheal or wind pipe.

Endotracheal Tube (ETT)
A tube placed through either the baby's mouth or nose into the trachea (windpipe).

Extremely low birth weight
Babies born weighing less than 1000g (2lbs).

Extremely premature
Babies born between 24 and 28 weeks in the womb.

Extubation
Removal of the endotracheal or breathing tube.

Eyelid speculum
Device to hold open the eyelids.

Grams (gms)
Metric unit of weight:
450 grams = 1 pound
1 kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams

Head box
A perspex hood placed over the baby's head as a method of giving them oxygen.

Head scans
Ultra sound examination carried out regularly to make sure that the baby's head is growing as expected.

Haemorrhage
Bleeding

Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver

High Frequency Ventilation (HFV)
A type of ventilation that gently vibrates the baby's chest and delivers hundreds of tiny breaths per minute to hold the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs open.

Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD)
Another name for Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Hydrocephalus
Water on the brain

Hydrops
A baby that is swollen with fluid.

Haemolytic disease
Disease causing breakdown of red blood cells.

Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (IMV)
A form of ventilation where a set number of breaths is given per minute by the ventilator.

Intracranial haemorrhage
Bleeding into the fluid-filled spaces of the brain or into the substance of the brain itself.

Intraventricular Haemorrhage (IVH)
Bleeding into the ventricles of the brain.

Ischaemia
Local decrease in blood supply, due to obstruction of arterial blood flow or to vasoconstriction (spasm of the artery).

IUGR/growth retardation
Babies born too small for their gestational age.

Long Line
A tiny catheter threaded into a deep vein to give long term fluids or intravenous nutrition.

Lumbar Puncture (LP)
A procedure where a sample of spinal fluid is obtained.

Nasal prong
A small tube inserted into the baby's nostrils to deliver oxygen.

Naso Gastric Tube (GGT)
A feeding tube which goes from the baby's nose to the stomach.

NBM
Nothing By Mouth.

Necrotising enterocolitis
A serious intestinal disorder causing bleeding into the gut, sepsis and occasionally perforation of the gut and peritonitis.

O₂
Oxygen

Oro Gastric Tube (OGT)
A feeding tube going from the baby's mouth to stomach.

Patent Ductus Arterious (PDA)
Persistence of the foetal connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery.

Phototherapy
An ultra violet light that is used to treat babies who have jaundice.

Pneumonia
Infection of the lung, or part of the lung

Premature
Babies born before 37 weeks in the womb.

Periventricular Leucomalacia (PVL)
Cystic areas in the brain.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
Disorder of blood vessel formation in the back of eye of preterm babies.

Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
Breathing difficulties that require mechanical assistance.

Saturation (SaO₂)
Measurement of the level of oxygen in the blood.

Serum Bilirubin Level
The level of jaundice in the blood.

Synchronised Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (SIMV)
A type of ventilation where the ventilator breaths are timed to the baby's.

Suctioning
The process where secretions are removed from a baby's mouth or nose in ETT.

Term
A baby that has spent between 37 and 41 weeks in the womb.

Thrombus/thrombosis
Blood clot

Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)
Nutrition given intravenously.

TPR
Temperature, Pulse and Respiration.

TTN
Transient Tachypnoea of the newborn.

UAC
Umbilical Artery Catheter

Umbilical Catheter
Tube(s) inserted into the baby's umbilicus (belly button) which is used to give intravenous feeds and take blood samples and record blood pressure.

UVC
Umbilical Venous Catheter

Ventilation
Using a machine for breathing.

Ventilator
This is a life support machine that maintains a baby's breathing.

Very Low Birth Weight
Babies born weighing less than 1500g (3lbs)

X-Rays
A picture is taken to check baby. The most common is a chest xray used to check your baby's lungs.