Respiratory Distress Syndrome

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