Premature infant

Alternative names:

prematurity, premie; preterm infant

Symptoms:

• low birth weight
• small baby size (small for gestational age; SGA)
• thin, smooth, shiny almost translucent skin
• veins are easily seen through the skin (transparent skin)
• wrinkled features
• soft, flexible ear cartilage
• body hair called lanugo
• irregular breathing pattern
• weak cry
• usually inactive, may be unusually active immediately after birth
• ineffective suck and swallow (poor feeding)
• enlarged clitoris (female infant)
• small scrotum, smooth without ridges (male infant)

Signs and tests:

The infant may have a low body temperature. It may develop a rapid respiratory rate (tachypnea) or exhibit poor respiratory effort.

Common tests on a premature infant include:

• chest X-ray to determine lung maturity and incipient onset of hyaline membrane disease (respiratory distress syndrome, RDS)
• blood gas analysis
• serum glucose
• serum calcium
• serum bilirubin
• euglobulin lysis time