Pediatrics

NEW BORN RESPIRATORY DISORDERS

Respiratory distress in the new born is specified by one or more of the following: nasal flaring, chest retractions, tachypnea, and grunting. Nasal flaring is a rather frequent finding in an infant attempting to decrease airway resistance. Suprasternal retraction specifies upper airway obstruction. Subcostal retraction, on the other hand, is a less specific manifestion that may be associated with either pulmonary or cardiac diseases. Generally, the neonate takes 30 to 60 breaths/min. The infant breathes at a faster rate to preserve ventilation in the face of decreased tidal volume. An infant in respiratory distress may try to maintain lung volume with adequate gas exchange by partially closing the glottis during expiration. This is the mechanism responsible for the audible grunting in these infants. An infant who has an advanced degree of respiratory distress may show additional indications, such as cyanosis, gasping