Equipment to Help Us Care for Your Baby
In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), we have many different kinds of equipment to help us care for your baby. All the machines have different types of alarms that the staff recognizes by tone.
Our staff is well-trained and recognizes the importance of each alarm and will respond appropriately — including communicating to the parents what the alarm signifies. Your questions and concerns are important to us and we are here to help.
Below is a list of some commonly used equipment and a brief description of what the equipment is used for.
Bili Lights
Bili lights are used for a condition called jaundice, a yellowing of the skin due to a substance that collects in the blood of many newborns. The baby is placed under the lights wearing a diaper and eye patches to protect them from the bili light.
Cardiac Respiratory Monitor
A cardiac respiratory monitor has small wires, or chest leads, taped to the baby's chest. These leads monitor the baby's heart rate, rhythm and respiration. The monitor will sound an alarm if the baby's heart rate or respiration below or above the normal range.
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)
Through the use of a ventilator and nasal prongs, babies can be given pressurized air mixed with oxygen to help them breathe and to keep their lungs expanded.
Endotracheal Tube (ET Tube)
An endotracheal tube is a very small plastic tube inserted in a baby's windpipe. The tube is attached to a ventilator to keep the airway open and to deliver air and oxygen to the baby.
Feeding Tube
A feeding tube, or OG, NG or gavage tube, is a tiny tube inserted into a baby's nose or mouth and down into the stomach. Formula, breast milk and medicine can be given through the feeding tube, and it is how babies are fed until they are strong enough to suck from a breast or bottle. It may also be used to remove air from the stomach. A feeding tube is not as uncomfortable for a baby as it seems since babies do not have a strong gag reflex.
Isolette (Incubator)
An isolette, or incubator, is a specially heated bed with transparent plastic. The isolette provides a controlled warm environment for maintenance of normal core temperatures. Air temperature is controlled by a sensor attached to the baby's skin. Babies stay in an isolette until they are 1650 grams and stable.
IV Pump
An IV pump is attached to a pole by the baby's bed. The pump sends fluids into the baby's IV at an exact rate and if the baby is unable to eat, will provide the nutrients needed.
Nasal Cannula
Nasal cannula is plastic tubing with two little prongs that go just inside a baby's nose to provide extra oxygen when needed.
Radiant Warmer
A radiant warmer is a bed that helps regulate a baby's temperature. A probe taped to the baby's skin tells the bed how much heat to use, which in turn allows the NICU staff to constantly monitor the temperature.
Saturation Monitor
A saturation monitor gauges how much oxygen is in the baby's blood. It is connected to a baby by a probe that is wrapped around the foot or arm and has a red light that is visible for viewing.
Suction Catheter
The suction catheter helps keep a baby's airway clear by using a thin soft tube to suction out mucus.
Umbilical Catheter
An arterial or venous umbilical catheter allows the NICU staff to draw blood by going into an artery or a vein in the baby's belly button. The catheter can also be used to give fluid or blood to the baby, if needed.
Ventilator (Respirator)
The ventilator is used for infants who do not have sufficient vigor to breathe independently. It delivers oxygen and a rate of breaths per minute via a tube (endotracheal tube or ET Tube) placed in the infant's trachea or airway.