1. Goal: provide parents with teaching, as necessary.
        1. Short term: discuss equipment, treatments, procedures; offer frequent progress reports, answer parents’ questions.
        2. Long term: how to handle recurrences, how to check temperature at home, medications for fever, when to call physician about respiratory problem.
    2. Evaluation/outcome criteria:
      1. No further evidence of respiratory distress.
      2. Resumption of normal respiratory pattern.
      3. Normal fluid balance maintained/restored.
      4. Parents verbalize their concerns and express confidence in their ability to care for their child after discharge.
  2. Apnea-related disorders
    1. Apnea of infancy
      1. Introduction: Apnea of infancy is the unexplained cessation of breathing for 20 sec or longer in an apparently healthy, full-term infant who is more than 37 weeks of gestation. It is usually diagnosed by the second month of life and is generally thought to resolve during the first 12-15 mo of life. The exact cause is unknown. The association between apnea of infancy and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is still controversial. However, infants experiencing significant apnea without a known cause are thought to be at increased risk for SIDS and must be treated accordingly.
      2. Assessment:
        1. Unexplained cessation of breathing (apnea) for 20 sec or longer.
        2. Bradycardia.
        3. Color change: cyanosis or pallor.
        4. Limp, hypotonic.
        5. Diagnostic tests including cardiopneumogram, pneumocardiogram, and polysomnography.
      3. Analysis/nursing diagnosis:
        1. Ineffective breathing patterns related to apnea.
        2. Anxiety, fear related to apnea and threat of infant’s death.
        3. Knowledge deficit regarding home care of infant on an apnea monitor and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
      4. Nursing care plan/intervention:
        1. Goal: maintain effective breathing pattern.
          1. Apnea monitor on infant at all times, including at home.