Management of Functional Constipation in the NICU: Improving Outcomes in Patients with BPD (208)

Friday, September 16, 2022

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PDT

Location: Champagne 1-2

CE: 1

NCC Codes:
RNC-NIC: 2
NNP-BC: 2
RNC-LRN: 3
NCC Subspecialty Certifications:
C-ELBW (Code 7)
Pharmacology Credits: 0.75

Main Presenter(s)

Alecia J. Karr, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC

Neonatal APN
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Sunbury, Ohio, United States

Disclosure: I have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Slides

Moderator(s)

ES

Elizabeth Spear, MSN, RNC-NIC

Clinical Nurse IV
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
Palo Alto, California, United States

Disclosure: Disclosure information not submitted.

Infants with BPD can often have difficulty with stooling and constipation, leading to increased respiratory support requirements and respiratory instability. Bowel regimens and maintenance treatment for functional constipation in the NICU is not commonly used due to lack of research in this field. A literature review was conducted to determine how functional constipation is defined in infants and which medications are safe to use in the NICU in order to provide recommendations for treatment. By understanding how to monitor for and diagnose functional constipation in the NICU and how to treat this condition, better outcomes can be achieved in BPD patients by decreasing respiratory instability and BPD exacerbations.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the learner will be able to:

Define functional constipation in infants
Define infant dyschezia and understand the difference in this and functional constipation
List the medications that can be used to treat functional constipation in infants
Describe the difference between osmotic laxatives, stool softeners, and stimulant laxatives