ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To identify risk factors and predictors of severity associated with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in the patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study including newborns admitted, between 2005 and 2015, with a diagnosis of MAS. RESULTS: Of the newborns admitted to the NICU, 0.66% were diagnosed with MAS. These had higher prevalence of caesarean delivery (p < .001), nonreassuring or abnormal cardiotocography (CTG) (p < .001), intrapartum maternal fever (p = .002), Apgar scores at the first minute <7 (p < .001) and need of endotracheal intubation at birth (p < .001). Newborns with severe MAS had higher median reactive C protein (86.9 versus 9.65, p = .001) and 73.3% had pulmonary hypertension (p = .027). They required significantly more days of oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, nitric oxide, inotropic, and surfactant therapy, as well as longer hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Nonreassuring or abnormal CTG and low Apgar score at the first minute were established as risk factors for MAS and need of surfactant therapy as a predictor of severity.
Subject(s)
Apgar Score , Heart Rate, Fetal , Meconium Aspiration Syndrome/epidemiology , Severity of Illness Index , Adult , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Case-Control Studies , Cesarean Section/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Intensive Care Units, Neonatal/statistics & numerical data , Intubation, Intratracheal/statistics & numerical data , Male , Meconium Aspiration Syndrome/classification , Obstetric Labor Complications/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Statistics, Nonparametric , Young AdultABSTRACT
To clarify the relationship between clinical features in utero and postnatal prognosis, 20 fetuses who underwent ultrasonic (US) evaluation for meconium peritonitis (MP) over a 17-year period were reviewed. According to final US findings in utero, patients were classified into three types. Type I (massive meconium ascites) was noted is 5 cases, type II (giant pseudocyst) in 4, and the other 11 were classified as type III (calcification and/or small pseudocyst). Abdominal calcifications were identified in only 5 cases (2 type I, 1 type II, 2 type III). Seven fetuses who had associated polyhydramnios (1 Type I, 1 Type II, 2 Type III) and fetal hydrops (3 Type II) were delivered before 36 weeks' gestation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation at birth was required in 9 cases (5 type I, 4 type II) who underwent abdominal drainage before delivery and/or immediately after birth. Although dilatation of the intestine was identified in 10 fetuses (2 type II, 8 Type III), 18 had intestinal atresia and 2 had fecal obstruction of the distal ileum. Four infants (2 type I, 1 type II, 1 type III) died of respiratory failure and postoperative complications. These results indicated that careful fetal US may be useful for perinatal management of MP.
