Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
- Caused by underdeveloped lungs
- It is very common amongst ELBW premature babies
- Surfactant, a soapy liquid lining the air sacs in the lung is not produced in sufficient quantity in premature babies
- The air sacs then tend to collapse, causing the lungs to have a harder time picking upoxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide
- Symptoms may include:
- Laboured breathing (eg. whining/ grunting sound on every breath)
- Breathing quickly (tachypnea)
- Treatment includes:
- Increased oxygen
- CPAP or BiPAP
- Giving artificial surfactant directly into the lungs or putting the baby on a respirator/ventilator
Reference:
AbbVie Corporation (Ed.). (2015). Preemie Parent Handbook (4th ed.). Canada: AbbVie Corportation.
Image: Patrick J. Lynch, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Lungs_diagram_simple.svg