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Retinopathy Of Prematurity

Good Essays

Claire Buss
Prof Doreen Johnson
ENGL 1117-73
14 Dec 2015
E3 Final Draft
Premature Infants and the Risk of Retinopathy
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of childhood blindness and occurs in approximately 16% of all preterm births; this percentage increases to 50% occurrence rate when the infant is less than 1,700 grams (Conditions and Support Agencies 2011). Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) accounts for a significant portion of blindness in children from developed countries and usually occurs in premature infants born at 28 weeks gestation or less. The retina is not completely vacularized and is very susceptible to injury and stress. When the infant experiences stress or injury, the vascularization of the retina …show more content…

It is a simple sugar, or a monosaccharide, and in the premature infant it is produced by the hepatic system. The production of glucose is essential for transition from uterine to extrauterine life (Rozance 2011). Because it serves the neonate in such a unique way, the regulation of hepatic glucose cannot be regulated or suppressed by intravenous insulin infusions or glucose administration. In a neonate, hyperglycemia is defined as a blood glucose level of greater than 240 mg/ dL and consistent blood glucose readings of 160 mg/dL (Rozance …show more content…

The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggested oxygen saturation levels that include maintaining the infants PaO2 of 45 – 80 mmHg with an oxygen saturation level of 85 – 95% for preterm infants of greater than 32 weeks gestation; and even lower saturations of 85 – 93% for infants less than 32 weeks. The previously mentioned guidelines are important for nursing staff to be aware of because they are the population providing bedside care, including monitoring oxygen use and oxygen saturation levels. Providers do not want the infant’s oxygen levels to be higher than these suggested guidelines because it can lead to oxygen toxicity in the preterm infant. In intrauterine life the oxygen saturation is around 50 or 60% and the oxygen tension during that time is around 22 – 24 mmHg (Filho, J. et al 2011). When the infants’ oxygen saturations are higher, the rate of vascularization of the retina is increased and thus is a contributing factor to

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