The Difficulties and Tradeoffs of Caring for the Most Fragile Patients

Providing the best care for the most fragile NICU patients is full of challenges and tradeoffs. Sometimes the information doctors need to gather from their patients comes at a cost. When neonatal care teams need to assess how a patient is responding to the current level of ventilatory support, a blood draw is traditionally required. However, that blood draw can contribute to blood loss, pain, and infection risk for the infant.

Why do we need to ventilate NICU patients?

Caring for preterm infants requires 1) ventilating their underdeveloped lungs and 2) protecting their brains—which often have immature blood flow regulation—from intraventricular hemorrhage and other complications.

To determine whether or not the ventilation support that these patients are receiving is adequate, clinicians need to frequently measure and monitor the amount of indicative substances in the blood. One of the most critical is carbon dioxide (CO2).

To read the complete whitepaper, fill out the form on this page. 

To download the whitepaper, please fill out the form below:

Related Posts

  • Product Spotlight

    Accurate transcutaneous CO2 monitoring for agile respiratory care teams

    Explore how transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring delivers noninvasive, real-time insights to support better outcomes for both clinicians and patients.

  • Whitepaper

    Reducing Pain in the NICU: A Quality Improvement Initiative

    Discover how Woman’s Hospital cut blood gas draws by 50% using transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring, standardized protocols, and staff-led care improvements.

  • Sentec Article

    How Transcutaneous CO2 Monitoring Can Help NICU Nurses Advocate for Patients

    Continuous CO2 monitoring is a powerful tool that can help NICU nurses as they advocate for their tiny patients. Discover 4 ways it can help amplify your voice.