The nurse is performing an assessment of an infant born 8 hours ago. The infant’s POC blood glucose level is 25 mg/dL. Which action does the nurse take first?

Contact the provider and begin intravenous infusion of D10W. Neonatal hypoglycemia is defined as a blood glucose level of less than 30 mg/dL (1.65 mmol/L) in the first 24 hours of life. After the first 24 hours, a reading of less than 45 mg/dL (2.5 mmol/L) is neonatal hypoglycemia. The nurse should administer IV dextrose to rapidly raise the neonate's blood sugar. The provider should be notified. Insulin would lower blood glucose and exacerbate the problem (and could be deadly). Breastfeeding is not a sufficiently rapid way to raise blood glucose in this situation, but oral nutrition should be encouraged to avoid future hypoglycemia. The assessment should be postponed until this acute situation is managed.

The nurse is performing an assessment of an infant born 8 hours a...

Category: Physiological Adaptation
Difficulty: 7

Topics: Endocrine Prenatal Care Assessment Communication & Documentation Labor and Delivery Laboratory Studies Medication and Blood Products Neonatal Care Nursing Interventions Postpartum Care Routes of Administration

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