Care Of The Skin - GE BiliSoft Operation And Maintenance Manual

Important clinical information – please read carefully before using this device.
The skin serves as a protective barrier against chemical, mechanical, and biological insults.
The skin is also important in the regulation of body temperature and serves as a route of
water excretion, especially in premature infants. The introduction of new intensive-care
techniques has been associated with the increased survival of very small, premature infants.
The immaturity of the skin of the very low weight infants, coupled with excessive
instrumentation and handling, poses previously unrecognized problems for the nursing care
of these infants.
Please read, evaluate and implement the following recommendations as appropriate:
1. Please refer to the following standard of skin care recommendations as given in the
literature
to sanitation and skin integrity.
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2. This device is intended only for the treatment of existing hyperbilirubinemia. Use of
this device for prophylactic treatment, particularly of premature infants, is not
recommended. These infants have extremely fragile skin
have produced inconsistent conclusions concerning the effectiveness of prophylactic
phototherapy treatment.
1 NAACOG(1992), OGN Nursing Practice Resource, Neonatal Skin Care, NAACOG.
2 ibid
3
Rutter, N., The immature skin, British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 44, No. 4, 1988
4 Curtis-Cohen, M., et al, Randomized trial of prophylactic phototherapy in the infant with very low birth weight,
The Journal of Pediatrics, July, 1985
5 Brown, A., et al, Efficacy of Phototherapy in Prevention and Management of Neonatal Hyberbilirubinemia,
Pediatrics, February , 1988
M1110147 Rev. 5 © 2007 Datex-Ohmeda. All rights reserved.
1
when utilizing this device with all infants. Special attention should be given
2
Observe color, rashes, excoriation
Clean skin with warm water
Clean perineal area after stooling
Change infant's position every 2 hours
4, 5

Care of the Skin

and various clinical studies
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