Perry chapter 31: SIDS and Immunizations
After giving birth to a stillborn infant, the woman turns to the nurse and says, "I just finished painting the baby's room. Do you think that caused my baby to die?" The nurse's best response to this woman is: a. "That's an old wives' tale; lots of women are around paint during pregnancy, and this doesn't happen to them." b. "That's not likely. Paint is associated with elevated pediatric lead levels." c. Silence. d. "I can understand your need to find an answer to what caused this. What else are you thinking about?"
d. "I can understand your need to find an answer to what caused this. What else are you thinking about?" The statement, "I can understand your need to find an answer to what caused this. What else are you thinking about?" is very appropriate for the nurse. It demonstrates caring and compassion and allows the mother to vent her thoughts and feelings, which is therapeutic in the process of grieving. The nurse should resist the temptation to give advice or to use clichés in offering support to the bereaved. In addition, trying to give bereaved parents answers when no clear answers exist or trying to squelch their guilt feeling does not help the process of grief. Silence probably would increase the mother's feelings of guilt. One of the most important goals of the nurse is to validate the experience and feelings of the parents by encouraging them to tell their stories and listening with care. The nurse should encourage the mother to express her ideas.
A woman is diagnosed with having a stillborn. At first, she appears stunned by the news, cries a little, and then asks you to call her mother. The phase of bereavement the woman is experiencing is called: a. Anticipatory grief. b.Acute distress. c. Intense grief. d. Reorganization.
b. Acute distress. The immediate reaction to news of a perinatal loss or infant death encompasses a period of acute distress. Disbelief and denial can occur. However, parents also feel very sad and depressed. Intense outbursts of emotion and crying are normal. However, lack of affect, euphoria, and calmness may occur and may reflect numbness, denial, or personal ways of coping with stress. Anticipatory grief applies to the grief related to a potential loss of an infant. The parent grieves in preparation of the infant's possible death, although he or she clings to the hope that the child will survive. Intense grief occurs in the first few months after the death of the infant. This phase encompasses many different emotions, including loneliness, emptiness, yearning, guilt, anger, and fear. Reorganization occurs after a long and intense search for meaning. Parents are better able to function at work and home, experience a return of self-esteem and confidence, can cope with new challenges, and have placed the loss in perspective.
With the goal of preventing plagiocephaly, the nurse should teach new parents to: a.Place the infant prone for 30 to 60 minutes per day. b.Buy a soft mattress. c.Allow the infant to nap in the car safety seat. d.Have the infant sleep with the parents.
ANS: A Prevention of positional plagiocephaly may begin shortly after birth by implementing prone positioning or "tummy time" for approximately 30 to 60 minutes per day when the infant is awake. Soft mattresses or sleeping with parents (co-sleeping) are not recommended because they put the infant at a higher risk for a sudden infant death incident. To prevent plagiocephaly, prolonged placement in car safety seats should be avoided.
Which interventions should the nurse implement when caring for a family of a sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) infant (select all that apply)? a.Allow parents to say goodbye to their infant. b.Once parents leave the hospital, no further follow-up is required. c.Arrange for someone to take the parents home from the hospital. d.Avoid requesting an autopsy of the deceased infant. e.Conduct a debriefing session with the parents before they leave the hospital.
ANS: A, C, E An important aspect of compassionate care for parents experiencing a SIDS incident is allowing them to say good-bye to their infant. These are the parents' last moments with their infant, and they should be as quiet, meaningful, peaceful, and undisturbed as possible. Because the parents leave the hospital without their infant, it is helpful to accompany them to the car or arrange for someone else to take them home. A debriefing session may help health care workers who dealt with the family and deceased infant to cope with emotions that are often engendered when a SIDS victim is brought into the acute care facility. An autopsy may clear up possible misconceptions regarding the death. When the parents return home, a competent, qualified professional should visit them after the death as soon as possible.
The clinic is lending a federally approved car seat to an infant's family. The nurse should explain that the safest place to put the car seat is: a.Front facing in back seat. b.Rear facing in back seat. c.Front facing in front seat if an air bag is on the passenger side. d.Rear facing in front seat if an air bag is on the passenger side.
ANS: B The rear-facing car seat provides the best protection for an infant's disproportionately heavy head and weak neck. Infants should face the rear from birth to 20 pounds and as close to 1 year of age as possible. The middle of the back seat provides the safest position. Severe injuries and deaths in children have occurred from air bags deploying on impact in the front passenger seat.
A nurse is conducting education classes for parents of infants. The nurse plans to discuss sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Which risk factors should the nurse include as increasing an infant's risk of a SIDS incident(select all that apply)? a.Breastfeeding b.Low Apgar scores c.Male sex d.Birth weight in the 50th or higher percentile e.Recent viral illness
ANS: B, C, E Certain groups of infants are at increased risk for SIDS: those with low birth weight, low Apgar scores, or recent viral illness, and those of male sex. Breastfed infants and infants of average or above-average weight are not at higher risk for SIDS.
A nurse is preparing to administer routine immunizations to a 4-month-old infant. The infant is currently up to date on all previously recommended immunizations. Which immunizations will the nurse prepare to administer (select all that apply)? a.Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) b.Rotavirus (RV) c.Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) d.Varicella e.Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB) f.Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)
ANS: B, C, E, F The recommended immunization schedule for a 4-month-old, up to date on immunizations, would be to administer the RV, DTaP, HIB, and IPV vaccinations. The MMR and varicella vaccinations would not be administered until the child is at least 1 year of age.
An infant has been pronounced dead from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the emergency department. Which is an appropriate question to ask the parents? a."Did you hear the infant cry out?" b."Why didn't you check on the infant earlier?" c."What time did you find the infant?" d."Was the head buried in a blanket?"
ANS: C During a SIDS incident, if the infant is not pronounced dead at the scene, he or she may be transported to the emergency department to be pronounced dead by a physician. While they are in the emergency department, the parents are asked only factual questions, such as when they found the infant, how he or she looked, and whom they called for help. The nurse avoids any remarks that may suggest responsibility, such as "Why didn't you go in earlier?" "Didn't you hear the infant cry out?" or "Was the head buried in a blanket?"
An infant experienced an apparent life-threatening event and is being placed on home apnea monitoring. The parents have understood the instructions for use of a home apnea monitor when they state: a."We can adjust the monitor to eliminate false alarms." b."We should sleep in the same bed as our monitored infant." c."We will check the monitor several times a day to be sure the alarm is working." d."We will place the monitor in the crib with our infant."
ANS: C The parents should check the monitor several times a day to be sure the alarm is working and that it can be heard from room to room. The parents should not adjust the monitor to eliminate false alarms. Adjustments could compromise the monitor's effectiveness. The monitor should be placed on a firm surface away from the crib and drapes. The parents should not sleep in the same bed as the monitored infant.
An important nursing responsibility when dealing with a family experiencing the loss of an infant from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is to: a.Explain how SIDS could have been predicted and prevented. b.Interview parents in depth concerning the circumstances surrounding the infant's death. c.Discourage parents from making a last visit with the infant. d.Make a follow-up home visit to parents as soon as possible after the infant's death.
ANS: D A competent, qualified professional should visit the family at home as soon as possible after the death and provide the family with printed information about SIDS. An explanation of how SIDS could have been predicted and prevented is inappropriate. SIDS cannot be prevented or predicted. Discussions about the cause will only increase parental guilt. The parents should be asked only factual questions to determine the cause of death. Parents should be allowed and encouraged to make a last visit with their infant.
Which is the most appropriate action when an infant becomes apneic? a.Shake vigorously. b.Roll head side to side. c.Hold by feet upside down with head supported. d.Gently stimulate trunk by patting or rubbing.
ANS: D If the infant is apneic, the infant's trunk should be gently stimulated by patting or rubbing. If the infant is prone, turn onto the back. The infant should not be shaken vigorously, have the head rolled side to side, or be held by the feet upside down with the head supported. These actions can cause injury.
A mother tells the nurse that she doesn't want her infant immunized because of the discomfort associated with injections. The nurse should explain that: a.This cannot be prevented. b.Infants do not feel pain as adults do. c.This is not a good reason for refusing immunizations. d.A topical anesthetic, eutectic mixture of local anesthetic (EMLA), can be applied before injections are given.
ANS: D Several topical anesthetic agents can be used to minimize the discomfort associated with immunization injections. These include EMLA and vapor coolant sprays. Pain associated with many procedures can be prevented or minimized by using the principles of atraumatic care. With preparation, the injection site can be properly anesthetized to decrease the amount of pain felt by the infant. Infants have the neural pathways to sense pain. Numerous research studies have indicated that infants perceive and react to pain in the same manner as do children and adults. The mother should be allowed to discuss her concerns and the alternatives available. This is part of the informed consent process.
The parents of a 3-month-old infant report that their infant sleeps supine (face up) but is often prone (face down) while awake. The nurse's response should be based on knowledge that this is: a.Unacceptable because of the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). b.Unacceptable because it does not encourage achievement of developmental milestones. c.Unacceptable to encourage fine motor development. d.Acceptable to encourage head control and turning over.
ANS: D These parents are implementing the guidelines to reduce the risk of SIDS. Infants should sleep on their backs and then be placed on their abdomens when awake to enhance development of milestones such as head control. The face-down position while awake and positioning on the back for sleep are acceptable because they reduce risk of SIDS and allow achievement of developmental milestones. These position changes encourage gross motor, not fine motor, development.
Which options for saying goodbye would the nurse want to discuss with a woman who is diagnosed with having a stillborn girl? a. The nurse shouldn't discuss any options at this time; there is plenty of time after the baby is born. b. "Would you like a picture taken of your baby after birth?" c. "When your baby is born, would you like to see and hold her?" d. "What funeral home do you want notified after the baby is born?"
c. "When your baby is born, would you like to see and hold her?" Mothers and fathers may find it helpful to see the infant after delivery. The parents' wishes should be respected. Interventions and support from the nursing and medical staff after a prenatal loss are extremely important in the healing of the parents. Although this may be an intervention, the initial intervention should be related directly to the parents' wishes with regard to seeing or holding their dead infant. Although information about funeral home notification may be relevant, it is not the most appropriate option at this time. Burial arrangements can be discussed after the infant is born.
A woman experienced a miscarriage at 10 weeks of gestation and had a dilation and curettage (D&C). She states that she is just fine and wants to go home as soon as possible. While you are assessing her responses to her loss, she tells you that she had purchased some baby things and had picked out a name. On the basis of your assessment of her responses, what nursing intervention would you use first? a. Ready her for discharge. b. Notify pastoral care to offer her a blessing. c. Ask her whether she would like to see what was obtained from her D&C. d. Ask her what name she had picked out for her baby.
d. Ask her what name she had picked out for her baby. One way of actualizing the loss is to allow parents to name the infant. The nurse should follow this client's cues and inquire about naming the infant. The client is looking for an opportunity to express her feelings of loss. The nurse should take this opportunity to offer support by allowing the woman to talk about her feelings. Furthermore, one way of actualizing the loss is to allow parents to name the infant. The nurse should follow this client's cues and inquire about naming the infant. Although it may be therapeutic to offer religious support, the nurse should take this opportunity to offer support by allowing the woman to talk about her feelings. Furthermore, one way of actualizing the loss is to allow parents to name the infant. Asking the woman whether she would like to see what was obtained from her D&C is completely inappropriate.
