A condition of newborn babies, and especially common in premature babies, in which the lungs do not expand properly, due to lack of surfactant.
Respiratory failure produced by an illness or injury that causes an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, a condition called pulmonary edema. Respiratory distress syndrome is a medical emergency that can progress to extreme difficulty in breathing and results in a life-threatening deficiency of oxygen in the blood.
The condition of a newborn infant in which the lungs are imperfectly expanded. Initial inflation and normal expansion of the lungs requires the presence of a substance (surfactant) that reduces the surface tension of the air sacs (alveoli). The condition is most common and serious among premature infants (especially between the 32nd and 37th weeks of gestation), in whom surfactant is liable to be deficient Breathing is rapid, labored, and shallow, and microscopic examinations of lung tissue in fatal cases has revealed the presence of hyaline material in the collapsed air sacs. The condition is treated by careful nursing, intravenous fluids, and oxygen, with or without positive pressure by a respirator.
A sometimes fatal condition occurring in the newborn in which there is difficulty in breathing. Most frequently RDS is caused by “hyaline membrane disease (HMD)” (for which the term “RDS” is sometimes a synonym), although the syndrome occasionally occurs in the absence of HMD.
This may occur in adults as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or in newborn children, when it is also known as hyaline membrane disease. The adult syndrome consists of pulmonary oedema of non-cardiac origin. The process begins when tissue damage stimulates the autonomic nervous system, releases vasoactive substances, precipitates complement activation, and produces abnormalities of the clotting cascade the serial process that leads to clotting of the blood. The activation of complement causes white cells to lodge in the pulmonary capillaries where they release substances which damage the lining of these vessels the pulmonary endothelium.
Premature infants often experience a medical condition called hyaline membrane disease. This condition arises when their delicate lungs fail to expand properly due to an insufficiency of a substance that aids in reducing tension on the lungs.
A sudden lung ailment that hinders breathing and culminates in respiratory failure, bringing about a critical shortage of oxygen to the body’s tissues, known as hypoxia. This condition can also trigger malfunction in additional bodily systems, such as heart or kidney failure.
Two variations of respiratory distress syndrome exist. The initial type presents in premature infants, where the lungs encounter stiffness and struggle to inflate due to an insufficiency of surfactant, a collection of chemicals responsible for maintaining the openness of alveoli – minuscule air sacs within the lungs. In adults, this condition is referred to as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and can arise from severe injuries or overwhelming infections, particularly septicemia.
Breathing becomes difficult and accelerates as the condition advances. Infants experiencing this issue produce grunting sounds while their chest walls retract during inhalation. If the condition deteriorates, ongoing reduction in blood oxygen levels causes a bluish discoloration. In the absence of treatment, the outcome can ultimately be fatal.
Treatment focuses on addressing the root cause, supplemented by methods like artificial ventilation and oxygen administration. Infants deemed at risk of respiratory distress syndrome are provided with inhaled surfactant. When premature delivery is deemed unavoidable, the mother receives corticosteroid injections to encourage fetal lung surfactant production.