Newborn Care & Assessment Flashcards

At 1 minute, a newborn has a heart rate of 110, slow irregular respirations, some flexion of the extremities, a grimace with suctioning, and a pink body with blue extremities. What is the Apgar score?

Answer: 6

Heart rate 2 + respirations 1 + tone 1 + reflex irritability 1 + color 1 = 6.

Which jaundice finding in a newborn is always considered pathologic and needs prompt evaluation?

Answer: Jaundice visible within the first 24 hours of life

Jaundice in the first 24 hours suggests hemolysis or another pathologic cause and is never physiologic.

A newborn has a soft, edematous scalp swelling present at birth that crosses suture lines. What is the most likely finding?

Answer: Caput succedaneum

Caput succedaneum is scalp edema present at birth that crosses suture lines and resolves within days.

On day 2 a newborn has scattered red blotches with small central yellow-white papules on the trunk, and the baby is otherwise well. What is the most appropriate management?

Answer: Reassure parents; erythema toxicum resolves on its own

Erythema toxicum neonatorum is a benign, self-limiting rash that needs no treatment.

What is the standard prophylactic dose of intramuscular vitamin K for a term newborn in the United States?

Answer: 1 mg

The AAP recommends a single 0.5–1 mg IM dose of vitamin K, typically 1 mg for term infants, to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding.

During a hip exam, the examiner adducts the hip and applies gentle posterior pressure, feeling the femoral head slip out of the acetabulum. Which maneuver is this?

Answer: Barlow maneuver

The Barlow maneuver uses adduction and posterior pressure to dislocate an unstable hip, while Ortolani reduces it.

What is the normal resting respiratory rate for a term newborn?

Answer: 30–60 breaths per minute

A normal newborn breathes 30–60 times per minute, often irregularly, with brief pauses under 20 seconds.