Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Basic Flashcards
7 cards from real RNC-NIC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Basic flashcards as text
A 30-week premature neonate is started on caffeine citrate therapy. What is the primary indication for this medication in the NICU?
Answer: Prevention and treatment of apnea of prematurity
Caffeine citrate is the first-line treatment for apnea of prematurity, stimulating the central respiratory drive.
Which complication is the NICU nurse most concerned about when a preterm infant receives a rapid IV fluid bolus?
Answer: Intraventricular hemorrhage
Rapid fluid boluses can cause sudden fluctuations in cerebral blood flow, increasing the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates.
A nurse is preparing to administer surfactant to a 26-week neonate. Which route is used for administration?
Answer: Directly into the endotracheal tube
Surfactant is instilled directly into the lungs via the endotracheal tube to coat alveolar surfaces and reduce surface tension.
A neonate has a serum sodium of 125 mEq/L and is symptomatic with seizures. What is the most appropriate initial treatment?
Answer: Administer hypertonic 3% saline slowly
Symptomatic hyponatremia with seizures requires cautious correction with hypertonic saline to raise sodium rapidly enough to stop seizures.
Which assessment tool is most commonly used to evaluate pain in nonverbal neonates in the NICU?
Answer: CRIES or N-PASS Scale
Validated neonatal pain tools like CRIES and N-PASS use behavioral and physiologic indicators since neonates cannot self-report pain.
A neonate born to a mother with poorly controlled diabetes has a blood glucose of 28 mg/dL at 1 hour of life and is asymptomatic. What is the best initial management?
Answer: Feed the infant breast milk or formula
Asymptomatic hypoglycemia in a neonate able to feed is initially treated with a feeding of breast milk or formula before resorting to IV glucose.
Which sign indicates that a neonate receiving phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia should have therapy temporarily stopped?
Answer: Temperature instability and bronze skin discoloration
Temperature instability or bronze baby syndrome (bronze skin, dark urine) are indications to reassess phototherapy and potential complications.