Always impressive to see a baby in an incubator, and even more so if your own child. But try to understand a bit how they work and what care they provide.

They are used for the care of premature infants with the aim of providing special attention.

It functions as a kind of artificial womb. The baby no longer dependent on her mother to develop, but neither is able to evolve by itself.

So you need to stay there, safe and isolated from germs and noise, the time doctors determined depending on the weeks you have the baby, the level of development of their critical systems and according to how the infant evolves.

There are babies who need to stay in the incubator just a few hours to provide constant heat and quiet isolation, while others very premature babies should stay there months with special care.

The incubator is a kind of cradle that is constantly monitored and has all the functions necessary to ensure the welfare of the baby.

He has control of temperature, moisture and oxygen. UV light has for babies with jaundice and a kind of vacuum cleaner to suck the baby’s airways.

In turn, a monitor all the time controls heartbeat, breathing and vital signs of the baby. In the case of a fault activates an alarm system to alert the medical staff.

For some, the incubator is a cold method because it allows the mother to have much contact with the baby, that it is possible through the kangaroo method, increasingly used in hospitals.

Its function is to provide heat for the babies, especially premature babies or newborns who can not maintain a neutral temperature.

What is the temperature that should be?

The neutral temperature is between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius. When is below 36, the organs do not function well and there are greater requirements in their metabolism.

Why would a newborn should go to the incubator?

A premature babies have a hard time regulating their temperature, which is why, if they are left outside the incubator can be cooled easily.

What if the baby is cool?

Upon cooling, have greater requirements for oxygen, glucose or, worse, it can compromise your vital signs. If you make a very severe hypothermia and your body becomes less than 34 degrees centigrade, life is compromised.

What if the baby gets very hot?

The incubator is to put it another way, the heating for the newborn. It has a thermometer that attaches permanently to the baby’s skin, called servo, which tells the incubator in which temperature is the baby. If you are under 36, the incubator temperature rises automatically to take the baby to 36 degrees, but if for some reason, the baby is too hot and above 37, the lower the temperature automatically incubator that is providing .

What is the difference between a closed incubator and open?

The closed with a glass cover that completely covers the baby and not exposed to ambient air. The heat comes from the bottom, where the baby is lying. Its main feature is that the baby is not subjected to cold drafts and will not lose liquid by evaporation because it is in an environment where the air is also hot.

The open, also called radiant heat because there is a wall that encloses the baby, but in the backs, at a reasonable distance, there is a tower that has a radiant heat source.

However, both have the same function and are servo-controlled.

In the nursery there are some babies in incubators and incubators closed open, how to decide what should be every child?

The first days of life is preferable to open the incubator, where it is necessary to make some procedure. After one or two days, passing the baby to a closed incubator.

The extremely premature, weighing less than 1500 grams, was taken to the incubator closed, preferably double-walled, because they take a long time to regulate its temperature. So, keep the heat more easily and prevent evaporation losses. In addition, they can add water vapor and moisture, because their skin is extremely premature very immature and through it may lose fluid in the skin, which will generate not only the loss of fluids, but also heat.

With humidification, the air inside the incubator to decrease the heat loss through evaporation.

How long should a baby in an incubator?

The necessary so that by itself is able to hold the temperature between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius, that is, when it comes to 1500 or 1800 grams. Therefore, if a baby of 900 grams, can take two months to reach 1,500 grams.

Why would a child who is not premature to go to the incubator?

A large children are taken to the incubator to watch. If left in a crib, you need to cover to avoid being cold and that can not be observed breathing pattern, how is the abdomen or a change in the physical state of the baby.

How bad is that the baby must stay a while in the incubator?

No, not serious and does not constitute an alarm signal. The fact that it is in an incubator, not to say that is serious, just need help to regulate the heat or that you need to observe.

The more sophisticated incubators come with a built-in electronic weighing, for there is no need to remove the baby from the incubator.

Modern incubators can be opened or closed, as it may provide cover as needed.

Antibody tests for HIV are most appropriate for routine diagnosis of HIV in adults. Antibody tests are inexpensive and yield very accurate results. The ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent), also called EIA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) was the first test for HIV that was used in a massive way.
How do antibody tests?

When a person is infected with the HIV virus, the body responds by producing special proteins that fight infection. These proteins are called antibodies. An antibody test for HIV looks for these antibodies in the blood, saliva or urine. If antibodies are detected against HIV, the person is infected. There are only two exceptions to this rule:

* Babies born to mothers infected with the HIV virus antibodies retain the mothers for up to 18 months. Therefore, it can be positive when tested against HIV antibodies, even if they are HIV negative. Typically, babies born to HIV positive mothers are subjected to a PCR test (see below) after birth.
* Some people who have participated in clinical trials of HIV vaccine may have HIV antibodies even if they are infected with the virus.

Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies in the period that extends from the sixth to the twelfth week after infection. In exceptional cases, the development of antibodies can take up to six months. It is extremely unlikely that the development of antibodies occurs in a period exceeding six months.
What is the “period of uncertainty ‘?

The ‘period of uncertainty’ is a term used to describe the time lag between HIV infection and antibody production. During this period, an antibody test can yield a result ‘false negative’, which means that the test is negative, even if the person is infected with HIV. To avoid such results, it is suggested that the antibody tests are conducted three months after possible exposure to HIV infection.

A negative result proves that three months is almost always indicate that the person is not infected with HIV. If the test is made to a person even a negative result at six months and no such person has been at risk of HIV infection in the meantime, it appears that the person is not infected with HIV.

It is very important to note that if a person is infected with HIV can still transmit the virus to others during the period of uncertainty.
What is the level of accuracy of antibody tests?

Antibody tests are extremely accurate when it comes to detecting the presence of antibodies against HIV. ELISA tests are very sensitive and, consequently, detecting small amounts of antibodies against HIV. However, this high degree of sensitivity implies that its specificity (the ability to distinguish HIV antibodies from other antibodies) is slightly reduced. Therefore, there is a very small possibility that a result is presented as ‘false positive’. Read the full story

What are the reasons to be tested for HIV?
Testing outreach for the detection of HIV in the United States

Using a rapid oral test for HIV detection

There are many reasons to get tested for HIV. To those who believe they have been exposed to the virus, get tested and negative results (meaning they are not infected with the HIV virus) can reassure them. Read the full story

These tests are based on the same technology as the ELISA, but instead of sending the sample for further laboratory analysis, the rapid test can produce similar results in 20 minutes.

Rapid tests can use blood samples or oral secretions. They are easy to use and requires no medical facilities or trained personnel for implementation.

Having obtained positive results in a rapid test, a confirmatory test should be performed. The results of the latter can take several days to several weeks.
P24 antigen test
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Ultrasound procedures are commonly used to examine the abdomen, small parts, veins, arteries and the female reproductive system. Because there is no harmful radiation, ultrasound has a critical role in obstetrics and fetal imaging.

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Health care facilities use ultrasound as a first-line diagnostic exam to quickly and efficiently perform a range of patient exams, including cardiac imaging.

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