title: Antenatal events causing neonatal brain injury in premature infants.
abstract: Understanding possible causes of neonatal brain injury is important for perinatal nurses because neonatal brain injury predicts subsequent infant mortality and morbidity in the premature infant. The pathogenesis of the brain injury, germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage and white matter damage, is usually related to a hypoxic event. The hypoxic event may occur in utero, resulting from various conditions, such as maternal infection, maternal alcohol consumption, maternal smoking, placental bleeding disorders, maternal hypercoagulability conditions, metabolic disorders (diabetes and hyperthyroidism), and oligohydramnios. Strategies for prevention beginning before and in pregnancy are needed.
authors.affiliation: The College of New Jersey, School of Nursing, New Jersey 08628, USA. jbloch@tcnj.edu
authors.forename: Joan Rosen
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bloch
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors