Guidelines for Home Care of Infant on Apnea Monitor

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1. Show the parents how to connect the monitor leads.
2. Remind parents to remove the leads unless they are connected to the infant.
3. Stress that the infant must be on the monitor whenever respirations are not being directly observed and that a trained person must be present in the home at all times in case the alarm sounds.
4. Teach parents not to adjust the monitor to eliminate false alarms.
5. Explain that the infant will need direct observation whenever loud noises could obscure the monitor alarm, e.g., dishwasher, vacuum.
6. Teach parents what to look for when the alarm sounds, i.e., loose monitor leads vs. apnea.
7. Teach parents how to assess the infant for an episode of apnea, i.e., lack of respirations, duration, color, muscle tone.
8. Teach the parents to first use gentle physical stimulation if the infant experiences an apnea spell, e.g., touching the face or stroking the soles of the feet.
9. Demonstrate infant CPR to be used if tactile stimulation is not effective in reestablishing respirations.
10. Encourage parents to keep emergency numbers posted near the telephone.
11. Explain that monitor will not interfere with normal growth and development. Encourage the parents to promote normal growth and development as much as possible.