Technology as Objects in the NICU

Did you know that neonatal intensive care units(NICUs) did not exist until the early 1960s? Neonatology did not begin until the 1970s. There are many types of technologies in the NICU. My focus will be on technology as objects. Some types of technologies that are found in the NICU are incubators, warmers, ventilators, monitors, infusion pumps, and diagnostic imaging, just to name a few. A main focus of the NICU is caring for premature infants who should be their mother's womb. Using technology a combination incubator/warmer was invented and is used to mimic a womb like environment. Two different types of these machines are the Versalet made by Air Shields and the Giraffe Omnibed made by GE Healthcare. Personally I believe the Giraffe Omnibed is fantastic. Incubators have come a long way. From 1896 to 1943 there existed Incubator Baby Side Shows. At Coney Island one could pay an entrance fee to see the incubator babies. Parents would allow this because they were not able to afford incubator care. It does not seem like that long ago. Must not have been HIPPA around.

References: http://www.neonatology.org/tour/technology.html
http://www.advancesinneonatalcare.org

My major field of study is nursing. More than one category comes to mind when thinking about how technology has affected the medical field. The most obvious one would be technology as objects. Machines allow nurses to monitor patients without even laying hands on them. This is a good thing when you care for a extremely premature baby who does not tolerate physical stimulation. This can be tied into using technology as knowledge and activities. By placing umbilical lines in a newborn vital signs can be monitored, blood can be drawn and fluids administered. In the intensive care nursery different categories of technology are used to create a womb like environment. When a preemie is born they are placed into a Versalet, which a combination of a warmer and isolette or incubator. A temperature probe is then placed on the baby. The Versalet then controls the air temperature based on the temperature of the baby. The baby can also be placed on a K-pad, which a heated water pad. In very low birth weight baby a simpler form of technology is used. A piece of Saran Wrap is placed over the patient. Simple but it works. We must not forget about documentation. Most hospitals are making the switch to computer charting. We are currently undergoing this process at my place of employment. Soon the cardio-respiratory monitors will be connected to the computer recording the vital signs. Gone are the days of paper flow sheets and manually entering the vital signs into the computer. So many categories of technology have affected the medical field. Narrowing it down in the next couple of weeks will be challenging. Wish me luck.