NEONATAL HYPOGLYCEMIA

Course overview

HYPOGLYCEMIA IS THE MOST COMMON METABOLIC DISTURBANCE OCCURRING IN THE NEONATAL PERIOD. SCREENING AT-RISK INFANTS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF LOW BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN THE FIRST HOURS TO DAYS OF LIFE IS A FREQUENT ISSUE IN THE CARE OF THE NEWBORN INFANT. YET, A CLEAR DEFINITION OF NEONATAL HYPOGLYCEMIA IS LACKING. CURRENT SCREENING GUIDELINES AND MANAGEMENT ALGORITHMS ARE BASED ON LIMITED EVIDENCE, RELYING MORE ON EXPERT OPINION TO GUIDE RECOMMENDATIONS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS NEONATAL HYPOGLYCEMIA AND THE NEED TO DEVELOP AN IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF IT. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE RECOGNITION AND MANAGEMENT OF NEONATAL HYPOGLYCEMIA.