Neonatal respiratory distress: a practical approach to its diagnosis and management

Abstract

Respiratory disorders are the most frequent cause of admission to the special care nursery both in term and preterm infants. Pediatricians and primary care providers may encounter newborn infants with respiratory distress in their office, emergency room, delivery room, or during physical assessment in the newborn nursery. The authors have proposed a practical approach to diagnose and manage such infants with suggestions for consulting a neonatologist at a regional center. Their objective is that practicing pediatricians should be able to assess and stabilize such infants, and transfer to or consult a neonatologist, cardiologist, or pulmonologist after reading this article.

Keywords: Bronchopulmonary disease; Congenital lung disorders; Interstitial lung disease; Meconium aspiration syndrome; Respiratory distress syndrome; Transient tachypnea of newborn.