Glucose Monitoring in the Healthy Newborn Clinical Pathway — Inpatient

Signs and Symptoms of Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Major Symptoms
  • Jitteriness
  • Irritability
  • High-pitched cry
  • Apnea, cyanosis, irregular/rapid breathing
  • Hypotonia
  • Seizures
Symptoms That May be Present
  • Temperature instability, hypothermia
  • Poor suck, refusal to eat

Risk Factors for Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Primary risk factor indicators to initiate glucose monitoring
  • Prematurity < 37 wks
  • Post-term > 42 wks
  • SGA, weight < 10th percentile
  • LGA, weight > 90th percentile
  • Infant of a diabetic mother
    • Consider for maternal failure of 1 hr glucose test or unknown glucose testing results
  • Family history of congenital hypoglycemia disorder
  • Maternal medications
    • Terbutaline within 1 hr of delivery
    • Beta blockers
    • Oral hypoglycemics
    • Prolonged steroid use during pregnancy
  • Suspected syndrome associated with hypoglycemia
    • Beckwith-Wiedemann
    • Turner syndrome
Additional risk factors noted by practitioner and may warrant initiation of glucose monitoring
  • Erythroblastosis fetalis
  • Polycythemia
  • Respiratory distress
  • Suspected sepsis
  • Midline defects
    • Cleft lip/palate
    • Microphallus
  • Apgar < 7 at 5 mins
  • Cord pH < 7.1 or base deficit more than 14
  • Cold stress
    • Hypothermia (axillary temp < 97.3°F or 36.3°C)
  • No prenatal care

SGA or LGA

May use Fenton growth chart with SGA < 10th percentile and LGA > 90th percentile.
For neonates born between 37 and 41 wks, < 2500 g and > 4000 g may be appropriate.