While most newborns are brought into this world quite healthy, there can be complications especially among premature babies. It isn't something any parent wants to think about, but the concern is still there. One of these problems is called Respiratory Distress Syndrome. This problem is created when the newborn's lungs cannot remain open for lack of a substance called surfactant, which helps distribute the surface tension of the lungs.
History
The history of RDS has advanced since 1821 when this condition was commonly diagnosed as "double pneumonia" or some other such breathing malady in a newborn. These conditions were mostly fatal at that time. Since then, great advancements have been made to improve the survival rate of infants diagnosed with RDS, including a focus on creating secure airways for newborns until their lungs can fully develop. While having taken many names since 1821---shock lung, post-traumatic lung---it wasn't until 1967 that respiratory distress syndrome was coined when diagnosing lung problems in adults due to a wide array of causes.
Conditions
Respiratory Distress Syndrome is a lung problem found in newborns, specifically premature babies whose mother has diabetes. Other factors may include a sibling who had RDS, a cesarean delivery, a complicated delivery that caused acidosis in the newborn, a multiple pregnancy like twins or a rapid labor. There are also many other genetic factors that may cause RDS.
Symptoms
The symptoms of RDS are quick and often fatal, needing immediate action if the newborn is to stay alive. In premature newborns, the lung sacs may be stiff and collapsed even to the point that the newborn cannot breathe. If the lung sacs are not completely useless, the newborn may show signs of labored breathing, flaring of the nostrils with air intake and grunting during outtake. Bluish skin can develop due to lack of oxygen in the blood. Without immediate treatment, whatever surfactant the newborn has becomes used and the muscles that drive the lungs become tired and weak. Brain damage and even death can result.
Treatments
The first preventative measure one can take is to try to allow the newborn enough time to fully develop the lungs before being born. This may mean delaying the birth for some time. A doctor can form an amniocentesis, which is to draw enough amniotic fluid from the newborn to determine whether there is a sufficient amount of surfactant. If the birth cannot be delayed, but the doctor detects the lungs are not ready, she can use corticosteroids to quickly develop the baby's lungs, thus making the effect of RDS much less significant at birth.
Other treatments include oxygen administered immediately after birth for an extended period of time as well as mechanical ventilation in more severe cases.
Medical Advancements
A better understanding of what causes RDS in newborns, advances in X-ray equipment and advances in blood analysis have allowed doctors to quickly diagnose and treat RDS, much better than in the 1800s and even the 1990s. Due to advances in mechanical respirators (Tidal Volume) and prone positioning---setting up the patient so that he breathes in the maximum amount of oxygen possible---as well as the ability to quicken lung development while the baby is still in the mother's womb, the survival rate has risen greatly for those newborns suffering from RDS.
Expert Advice
The best thing a parent or expectant mother can do to help their newborn is early detection. Knowing that the chances of RDS increase as a baby is premature, it is up to the doctor to run tests to determine the functionality of the newborn's lungs. Even after the baby is born, aside from treatments in the medical center, a parent must be aware that she may need to help continue oxygen treatments at home for any length of time until the newborn's lungs are fully developed.
Tags: newborn lungs, Distress Syndrome, fully develop, lung sacs, lungs fully