All issues > Volume 10(6); 1967

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1967;10(6):303-310. Published online June 30, 1967.

The Respiratory Distress of Newborn Infants

Hyun Sook Lee¹, Hyun Sook Rhee¹, Koo Chang Chung¹, Bock Jin Wang¹, Dong Shik Chin¹

¹Dept, of Pediactrics,College of Medicine,Ewha Womans University,Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The present study is given the results of the clinical investigation regarding with the 251 cases developed respiratory distress within 48 hours after birth among 6567 newborn infants which were observed in the nursery and premature room of Ewha Womans University Hospital during January, 1963 to June, 1966. The incidence of respiratory distress varied from 21.7% in the lowest birth-wieght group (less than 2000 grains) to 9.7% in the heaviest group (2001 to 2500 grams) of premature infants and approximately 3.0% in the full term infants. According to the type of delivery, its incidence was highest in the breech delivery group (14.2%), particularly in the lowest birth-weight group less than 1,500 grams among it, in those born by cesarean section, 5.9%, which was more higher in the group from 1,501 to 2,000 grams (Table 2 and Figure 1). In the present study, the most frequent and important clinical signs of respiratory distress were cyanosis (69.3%), expiratory grunting (58.8%), irregular respiration (50.9%), and chest retraction (45.8%) which was mostly characterized by seesaw type of it. By the clinical consideration, primary pulmonary atelectasis (75 cases), asphyxia (50 cases), prematurity only (29 cases) and severe maternal complications (60 cases) were thought to be most important causes of respiratory distress, and the use of anesthesic or analgesic agents for the mother shortly before delivery was also accompanied by high incidence of respiratory distress in the newborn infants (Table 4). Consquently, 89 cases (35.4%) died with respiratory distress within 7 days after their birth, but more higher fatality rates were observed in those of the lowest birth-weight group less than 2,000 grams (50%) and the abnormal delivery group such as in those born by breech delivery, 42.1%, and cesarean section, 40%. Chief postmorterm findings of 23 infants including 17 prematures with serious respiratory distress were mentioned in Table 7. Conclusively, the possible role of prematurity, pulmonary insufficiency and abnormal maternal condition was emphasized as major factors in producing respiratory distress or its death in neonate.

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