Neonatal oxygen concentration

Generally, full-term newborns without any diseases do not need oxygen, but there are some premature babies whose organs are not fully developed. Therefore, in order for the baby to survive and breathe smoothly, the baby is generally given oxygen. There are many things to pay attention to when using oxygen, such as the concentration of oxygen, the duration of oxygen inhalation, etc. Newborns are especially fragile and can be easily harmed if not handled with care.

1. Low-concentration continuous oxygen therapy: Children with respiratory failure (RF) who are deficient in oxygen and have CO2 retention generally receive low-concentration continuous oxygen inhalation, with FiO2>35% and flow rate <4L/min. O2 inhalation can last for 5-18 hours or more within 24 hours. When FiO2 is 24%-25%, recheck PaO2 and PaO2 after 30 minutes to 2 hours. If PaO2 is still at a moderate or lower hypoxemia level and PCO2 does not exceed 0.67-1.33 kPa, the oxygen concentration can be increased to 28% or 30%, but it should not be >35%.

2. Premature infants may develop retinal fibrosis and go blind if they inhale too much oxygen. For full-term infants, the possibility of this happening is very small. However, if the oxygen concentration is too high, it may cause oxygen poisoning and may lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Generally, you can try to stop the oxygen when the child's breathing stabilizes at 40-50 times per minute. Since pneumonia has been "basically cured", oxygen can be stopped. If you cannot stop oxygen therapy, it means you have not yet recovered, because only when lung inflammation is not eliminated will it hinder the entry of oxygen into the body and oxygen will be needed.

3. Oxygen inhalation is bad for the eyes for premature babies, because their retinas are immature, and long-term oxygen inhalation may cause retinal fiber hyperplasia and lead to blindness. For full-term babies, this possibility is extremely small. If it is a premature baby, check-up should begin one to three weeks after birth, and should be checked regularly until the age of 3.

4. Artificial oxygen inhalation has become an indispensable method used clinically to save the lives of premature infants. For premature infants suffering from hypoxia, oxygen plays a key role in saving the lives of newborns. However, for newborns with a history of oxygen treatment, parents should take them to the ophthalmology department for examination to facilitate early detection and treatment of retinal diseases, because the probability of premature infants developing retinal diseases due to oxygen inhalation is higher.

5. When giving oxygen to premature babies, doctors in the hospital will generally control the oxygen concentration and the time of oxygen inhalation will not be too long. Parents must pay close attention to the oxygen intake of premature babies. If there is any abnormality, they should check it in time to detect the problem at an early stage.