What to do if the newborn baby inhales amniotic fluid into the lungs

What should I do if a newborn baby inhales amniotic fluid into his lungs? Newborns may suffer from fetal hypoxia in the womb or during delivery due to some reasons, such as the mother suffering from pregnancy toxemia, high blood pressure, poor placental blood circulation caused by aging of the placenta, umbilical cord around the neck, heavy bleeding during delivery, dystocia, etc., and hypoxia can stimulate the fetal respiratory center, causing the fetus that was originally not breathing in the womb to breathe and inhale amniotic fluid into the respiratory tract and lungs. Some substances contained in amniotic fluid, such as sebum and epithelial cells, cause chemical and mechanical stimulation in the alveoli after inhalation, resulting in pneumonia.

Most of these children have symptoms of intrauterine hypoxia, such as increased or decreased fetal heart rate, increased or decreased fetal movement, etc. Oxygen inhalation, artificial respiration and other rescue measures are also needed at birth. After the rescue, the child soon developed rapid breathing, wheezing, blue face or skin, and a lot of secretions or foam in the mouth or nasopharynx.

On lung examination, moist rales may be heard. If the amount of amniotic fluid inhaled is small, the symptoms are mild and will improve in 3-4 days. The more amniotic fluid is inhaled, the more severe the symptoms will be, and it may even lead to respiratory failure. Due to the different amounts of amniotic fluid inhaled, the manifestations of chest X-rays are also different. In mild cases, there is only an increase in lung texture, while in severe cases, there may be patchy shadows in both lungs, which are more obvious on the inner and lower parts of the lungs.

The main treatments for neonatal amniotic fluid aspiration pneumonia are: oxygen inhalation, keeping the airway open, patting the back and suctioning sputum, and sucking out the amniotic fluid and secretions as much as possible. Although amniotic fluid itself does not contain bacteria, inhalation of amniotic fluid can reduce respiratory resistance and make secondary bacterial infection more likely. Therefore, patients with more serious conditions should use antibiotics to prevent and treat secondary infection.

Since the occurrence of amniotic fluid aspiration pneumonia is related to fetal intrauterine or intrapartum asphyxia and hypoxia, the key to prevention is to prevent fetal intrauterine or intrapartum hypoxia. It is very necessary for mothers to have regular prenatal examinations. If the fetus shows signs of intrauterine asphyxia, delivery should be ended as soon as possible. The longer the hypoxia time, the greater the possibility of aspiration of amniotic fluid and the amount of aspiration of amniotic fluid will be. Long-term intrauterine hypoxia can also cause fetal brain damage. At the moment the baby is delivered, a tube should be inserted as quickly as possible to suck out the amniotic fluid in the baby's mouth, nose, pharynx and trachea to prevent the amniotic fluid in these parts from being inhaled deeper into the lungs when the baby cries, which would further aggravate the condition.

The prognosis of amniotic fluid aspiration pneumonia is good after treatment, and most children can recover without any sequelae.

The above content is an introduction to and treatment methods for amniotic fluid aspiration into the lungs of newborns. Since the occurrence of amniotic fluid aspiration pneumonia is related to fetal intrauterine or intrapartum asphyxia and hypoxia, the key to prevention is to prevent fetal intrauterine or intrapartum hypoxia. It is very necessary for the mother to have regular prenatal examinations. If the fetus shows signs of intrauterine asphyxia, the delivery should be ended as soon as possible. The longer the hypoxia lasts, the greater the possibility of aspiration of amniotic fluid and the amount of aspiration of amniotic fluid will be. Long-term intrauterine hypoxia can also cause fetal brain damage. At the moment the baby is delivered, a tube should be inserted as quickly as possible to suck out the amniotic fluid in the baby's mouth, nose, pharynx and trachea to prevent the amniotic fluid in these parts from being inhaled deeper into the lungs when the baby cries, which would further aggravate the condition.