Common terms - S

• Saturation monitor
• Scans
• SCBU
• Sepsis
• Screening
• SIMV
• Sleep study
• Surfactant
• Syndrome

Saturation monitor:

A saturation monitor (also called a pulse oximeter) is used to monitor the amount of oxygen in a baby's blood. It works by shining a red light through the hand or foot. Oxygen in the circulating blood absorbs the light. The amount absorbed is taken away from the total amount of light sent and the then machine gives a measure of blood oxygenation. This technology is very sensitive to movement and often alarms even when the baby is fine.

Scans

'Scans' normally refers to ultrasound scans that are done in the unit. The scan machine is similar to that used to scan mothers during pregnancy and the commonest scan is of the head. This is done by first placing some jelly like cream onto the fontanelle (the soft spot on the baby's head) and then with a small probe placed on the skin, the inside of the head is scanned. Head scans are carried out where there are concerns of a problem within the brain. The commonest reason for a scan is to check if the preterm baby has had a bleed into their head. Bleeding in the head is relatively common in the newborn premature baby. Many have no side effects because of it, but this can be a serious problem. Ultrasound scans do not show every problem that may affect the brain. An apparently normal scan does not mean that the baby cannot have something wrong with his brain which will result in a long term problem.

Sometimes other parts of the body need to be scanned, usually the abdomen or the heart. A scan of the heart is often called an echocardiograph (shortened to an 'echo').

SCBU :

Is the shortened term for special care baby unit.

Sepsis:

This is another word for infection.

SIMV:

Synchronised Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation.

With this type of ventilation the ventilator boosts the babies own breaths by giving a pre-set pressure.

Surfactant:

Surfactant is a substance that lines the inside of the lungs and helps with breathing. Babies born prematurely may not have enough surfactant to make breathing easy and therefore go on to develop respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Replacement surfactant is given as a liquid into the lungs and this is usually done immediately after birth; sometimes second or third doses are required.

Syndrome

A group of unusual physical features and symptoms that occur together in a recognized pattern. Sometimes a syndrome is caused by an abnormality of the chromosomes that can be tested for. If a syndrome is diagnosed it can sometimes help to predict whether there will be any long term health problems.