What causes respiratory depression in newborns?

Originally, after the birth of a newborn, you can hear the baby crying loudly, but some newborns do not breathe on their own after birth, and may even suffocate. This makes many expectant mothers start to worry whether their unborn babies will have such a condition. When facing the condition of neonatal respiratory depression, we must first understand the cause. There are two possibilities: it is caused by the mother, or the newborn itself has a congenital disease. So what is the cause of neonatal respiratory depression?

After delivery, if the newborn does not breathe on his own immediately, or if breathing starts and then stops, his life will be in danger. Disorders of the respiratory system lead to hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention in the blood and body, thereby affecting heart and circulatory function and central nervous system activity.

The main causes of this respiratory, cardiac, and circulatory system disorder in newborns are:

1. Maternal illness, such as heart disease, lung disease and severe anemia;

2. The mother uses too many uterine contraction drugs, which leads to violent and continuous contraction of the uterus;

3. Excessive use of anesthetics or morphine-containing drugs on the mother, resulting in the suppression of the baby's respiratory center;

4. Umbilical cord prolapse or umbilical cord around the neck, or premature placenta detachment, leading to perinatal hypoxia of the fetus;

5. Cerebral hemorrhage during delivery or respiratory insufficiency of premature infants, which weakens or impairs respiratory function;

6. Incomplete lung expansion (atelectasis) in premature infants and infants born by cesarean section;

7. The formation of a transparent film hinders oxygen exchange;

8. Before or during delivery, the fetus inhales amniotic fluid or meconium;

9. The fetal heart has severe congenital malformations, and venous blood enters the arterial system;

10. Acute blood loss in newborns.

Newborns with breathing problems may have a blue or pale face, and symptoms of acute hypoxia may also include bluish skin (cyanosis). The child's breathing was sobbing and irregular, and his heartbeat was slow but still strong; although the defensive reflexes were very weak, they still existed, and the muscle tone did not disappear.

The goal of treatment for respiratory depression is to stimulate and maintain respiratory activity, eliminate hypoxia, and correct and balance excessive acidification of the blood as much as possible. Sometimes, simply suctioning out the upper respiratory tract secretions can restore the patient's natural breathing and quickly improve their oxygen supply. If this measure still cannot completely solve the problem of hypoxia, assisted breathing should be provided with the aid of a ventilator. The required oxygen concentration depends on the blood test results. Using oxygen is like taking medicine. Both excess and deficiency can cause harm to the body. A transcutaneous oximeter can be used to dynamically monitor blood oxygen saturation, and blood gas analysis should be performed at regular intervals.

When a child is growing in the womb, some of the things that expectant mothers do every day are the same things that the child does. Most neonatal respiratory depression is caused by prolonged ischemia or dystocia. The umbilical cord around the neck makes it impossible for the child to breathe smoothly. After rescue, as long as the child has stable breathing, there is no danger, so parents can rest assured.