Medical Procedures

Below is a list of some procedures used in caring for your baby.

Intubation
This is the placing of a breathing tube either through the nose or mouth into the windpipe. Except in an emergency, pain relief and sedation are administered in advance. The breathing tube is then connected to a ventilator.

Insertion of a cannula
This is the placing of a thin tube into a vein to allow fluid and drugs to be given intravenously.

Insertion of a long line
This is the placing of a long thin tube through a vein, threading it forward as far as a large vein, to allow fluid and drugs to be given intravenously. It may be inserted either through the umbilicus or through a small vein in a limb or scalp. These lines last longer than cannulae, but have a small risk of becoming infected.

Insertion of an arterial line
This is the placing of a thin tube into an artery to allow blood samples to be taken with minimal discomfort. It may be inserted either though the umbilicus or into an artery in a limb.

Heel prick
This is a means of obtaining a small amount of blood to test, usually done to check the blood sugar level. The sample is taken from the heel.

Insertion of a nasogastric tube
This is the placing of a thin tube through the nose into the stomach to allow milk to be given (or occasionally to allow stomach contents to be removed). Alternatively, it may be placed through the mouth.

Septic screen
This is a series of tests for possible infection done if the medical staff are concerned that a baby is not as well as expected. It usually includes a number of blood tests, a lumbar puncture (though in some circumstances this may be omitted) and may include a chest X-ray. Swabs may also be taken.

Lumbar puncture
This is a test for meningitis in which a sample of fluid is taken from the back. It is often included in a septic screen when meningitis is a possibility.

Head scan
This is an ultrasound scan of the head, done by placing an ultrasound probe over the fontanelle (the soft spot on a baby's head). It is done to screen for bleeding inside the head, a common complication of prematurity.

Contrast study
This is usually an X-ray of the bowel during which contrast fluid is placed in the stomach. It is done to look for bowel complications in babies having feeding difficulties.

Chest X-ray
This is an X-ray of the chest usually done to establish the condition of a baby's lungs. Ill newborn infants require many chest X-rays.