Definition: When breathing stops for longer than 20 seconds, it’s called apnea. Premature babies have immature nervous systems, and are prone to having episodes of apnea. Sometimes, apnea will cause the baby’s heart to beat too slowly, called bradycardia. Health care professionals sometimes call apnea and bradycardia “As and Bs.”
In the NICU, preemies are hooked up to monitors that sound alarms when their breathing has these long pauses. Usually, a gentle pat on the back is all that’s needed to remind the baby to breathe again, but sometimes babies need help breathing or extra oxygen when they’re apneic. Most premature babies outgrow their apnea by the time they’re ready to go home, but some babies will still have occasional spells of mild apnea. If that happens, parents will take their baby home with an apnea monitor, which will go off if the baby stops breathing.
Pronunciation: AP-knee-uh
Also Known As: Apnea, As (in "As and Bs")
Examples:
When the baby didn't breathe for 20 seconds, her apnea alarm sounded.
