Mrs.Werwee
Honors Alg. 2
23 May 2016
Neonatologist
First I would like to start by explaining what a neonatologist is and what they do. A neonatologist is a type of pediatrician that works with newborn babies especially the ones that are born prematurely or with serious illnesses. Neonatologists usually work in hospitals and in the NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units). Neonatologists are trained to be able to handle complex situations and be able to resolve them. They do many things such as diagnose and treat newborns with conditions such as: breathing conditions, birth defects, and infections that occurred while being in the womb. Neonatologists are also to ensure that a premature baby is receiving the proper alimentation and medication at an indicated time. This is where the math comes in, neonatologists have to be able to take the ratio of growth to test results and calculate the amount of IV fluid that the patient needs. Other reasons a neonatologist needs math are to measure and take the weight of the baby as well as to convert …show more content…
Weight is a very important concept in medicine because it can determine many things. The weight of the patient can determine the amount of dose the patient receives. The dose is found by multiplying the dosage by the weight. Dose is the amount that the patient will intake, say 10mg, dosage is the quantity the patient will intake over time, like 3 times a day. Weight can also determine the amount of IV (Intravenous Therapy) fluids the patients is to receive. You use the following formulas to determine the amount of IV fluids: 0 - 10 kg = weight (kg) x 100 mL/kg/day, 10-20 kg = 1000 mL + [weight (kg) x 50 ml/kg/day], and > 20 kg = 1500 mL + [weight (kg) x 20 ml/kg/day]. After finding the amount of IV fluid per day, one has to find how much is given per hour or the infusion rate. This is found by dividing the amount of fluid per day by 24