8 Days Old: Morning Rounds

Dr. S. is in today.
She’s trying out a new position this morning, lying on her stomach.
She had a very active night and early morning. Her left lung was looking collapsed from overnight X-rays. They started her on Albuterol, which should help open her lungs. They also started Dornase to help with the secretions, which were high yesterday. This morning X-rays showed improvements, but pulmonary is still the primary concern for today. The team also noticed yellow secretions from the lungs, which is a possible sign of infection. They ordered blood tests – complete blood count (CBC) – that let’s us look for signs of infection via white blood cells. Those came back negative. They also ordered a C Reactive Protein (CRP), which was high (8) but not enough for concern. Her oxygen saturation levels are low – due to all the mucus plugs – so she is up to 46% O2. They are going to move her breathing tube up a little. They may due a few more techniques to attempt to clear her lungs.
Feeding has stopped, as they want to treat pulmonary first.
TBD on the results from the liver ultrasound. Other tests of her liver were OK.
She is off the phototherapy. Her indirect bilirubin count has come down, however her direct levels continue to rise which is concerning.