Illustrated 2026 Neonatal Intensive Care Procedures Reference

You are called to the bedside of a critically ill newborn, and the procedure has to go right the first time.

NICU nurses, neonatology fellows, respiratory therapists, and advanced practice clinicians rarely get a second attempt at a difficult umbilical line, a tension pneumothorax, or a failed airway in a 600-gram infant. Textbooks that describe procedures in paragraphs of dense prose do not answer the question that matters in the moment: What do I do next, exactly, and how do I know it worked?

Without a clear, illustrated, step-by-step reference, teams default to memory, informal mentorship, and improvisation. Gaps in preparation and technique translate directly into failed attempts, prolonged procedures, and avoidable complications in the most fragile patients in the hospital.

This 2026 edition closes that gap. Across 25 chapters, it walks through every core neonatal intensive care procedure in the same structured format:

Indications and contraindications
Equipment and preparation
Step-by-step technique
Confirmation
Complications
Rescue
What's Inside
Airway management, endotracheal intubation, laryngeal mask placement, and mechanical ventilation setup
Umbilical, peripheral, central, and PICC vascular access, with sizing and depth calculations
Chest tube placement, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, and bladder catheterization
Surfactant administration, phototherapy, exchange transfusion, and delivery room resuscitation
Pain assessment, procedural sedation, point-of-care ultrasound, and complication recognition

Every chapter includes clinical pearls drawn from bedside practice, real case vignettes, comparison tables for rapid reference, and two detailed clinical illustrations created specifically for this book. The illustrations show exact anatomy, instrument positioning, and labeled structures to make each technique easier to understand and follow.

Companion Video Course

A unique feature sets this reference apart: a QR code inside the book links to a companion video course featuring more than 100 curated instructional videos. Videos are organized by procedure, allowing readers to watch a technique being performed before attempting it themselves.

Who This Book Is For

Written for NICU nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatology and pediatric residents and fellows, respiratory therapists, and physician assistants who need dependable, current, procedure-focused guidance.

Stop relying on fragmented memory and hallway mentorship for procedures where precision saves lives. Add this illustrated 2026 reference to your unit and your own shelf today.