• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.38-42
• /
• 1999

Background: In neonatal respiratory distress syndrome patients, various types of pulmonary air leak contributes to elevate morbity and mortality. Although early surgical interventions can provide better results in several cases, whole clinical outcomes are poor. This study was designed to investigate the clinical aspects of pulmonary air leak in the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome patients and major contributing factors to mortality. Material and Method : We retrospectively evaluated 48 cases of pulmonary air leak in the neonatal respiratory distress syndrome patients from September 1994 to May 1997. Result: There were 15 cases of primary and 33 cases of secondary pulmonary air leakages. The prominent manifestations were pure interstitial emphysema in 19 cases(39.9%) and combined pneumothorax in 19 cases(39.9%). In clinical aspects, normal birth weight was dominant(83.4%), the onset occurred within 24 hours was in 28 cases(58.8%). The pulmonary diseases were meconium aspiration syndrome(25.2%) and hyaline membrane disease(33.2%). The overall hospital mortality was 25.2%, and the majority were hyaline membrane diseases. Conclusion: Although the overral mortality rate of these diseases were high, more detailed studies about immediate treatement, perinatal prevention, intensive care to geriatric problems were needed individually to improve outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.285-289
• /
• 1982

Pneumomediastium in a newborn baby is a rare condition and is usually manifested by respiratory and circulatory distress syndrome. We recently have experienced a newborn baby of severe tension pneumomediastinum associated with bilateral pneumothorax. The patient in this report was a day old female and the mother of the baby a lot of difficulties during her delivery and the aid of vaccuum was necessary. This patient was received closed thoracotomy and followed by explothoracotomy and excision of tension multiple air bubbles. The post-op. course is not uneventful.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.175-183
• /
• 1988

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia [CDH] is a surgical emergency in the newborn infant because it causes severe cardiorespiratory distress. Congenital diaphragmatic eventration [CDE] may also produce severe cardiorespiratory distress in the newborn infant. CDH is an anatomically simple defect that can be easily repaired by reduction of the displaced viscera from the pleural cavity and closure of the diaphragmatic defect. But these infants mortality has not been reduced and still remains very high. The barrier to survival is pulmonary parenchymal and vascular hypoplasia as well as the complex syndrome of persistent fetal circulation. Between May, 1985 and Oct, 1987, 4 neonates with CDH and 1 neonate with CDE were seen in respiratory distress within 12 hrs of birth at St. Francisco general hospital. Each had severe acidosis and hypoxia. And was transferred from a local clinic. They were surgically repaired within 24 hrs of birth. Three neonates lived and two died. Two of the three neonates with CDH operated in the first 6 hrs died. The remaining two [one with CDH, the other with CDE] operated between 6hrs and 24 hrs lived. One case of mortality was combined with bilateral pulmonary hypoplasia and contralateral pneumothorax. The other one case of mortality was combined with complex syndrome of persistent fetal circulation after honeymoon period.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.77-84
• /
• 1997

We measured the blood flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery via anterior fontanelle approach of fifty five preterm neonates with duplex Doppler sonography and analyzed the waveform and calculated pulsatility index, resistive index. Intracranial velocities and pulsatility indexes were increased with increasing gestational age, birth weight, and age of the neonate, but resistive indices decreased. In sick babies, characteristic resistive index increment were seen in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage, but no statistical difference was seen in patients with respiratory distress syndrome. Our results suggest that duplex Doppler sonography is a useful noninvasive means of monitoring cerebrohemodynamics in normal preterm neonates and flow change of sick babies.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.30-34
• /
• 2003

Spontaneous gastric perforation in the newborn is a rare disease that requires early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment. Between 1988 and 2001 at the Department of Pediatric Surgery. Kyungpool National University Hospital, 9 cases of spontaneous gastric perforation were treated. Seven were males and two females. The mean gestational age and birth weight were 36.7 weeks and 2,455 g respectively. All patients presented with severe abdominal distention and pneumoperitoneum on cross table lateral film of the abdomen. Perforations were located on the anterior wall along the greater curvature of the stomach in six and on the posterior wall along the greater curvature in two. One case showed two sites of perforation on the anterior and posterior wall along the greater curvature. Six patients were managed with debridement and primary closure and the others with debridement and partial gastrectomy. Peritoneal drainage was not performed. There were four deaths; two from sepsis due to leakage from the anastomotic site, one as a result of acute renal failure, and the other by associated respiratory distress syndrome. Spontaneous gastric perforation in the newborn is usually located along the greater curvature. Elevated intragastric pressure is a possible cause of the perforation. Poor prognosis is related to associated diseases and prematurity.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.257-264
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The development of postnatal pneumothorax and its common causes and clinical aspects were studied to promote early diagnosis and proper management. Methods: A retrospective study of neonates who were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital from 2001 to 2010 was performed. Term neonates were divided into a spontaneous pneumothorax group and a secondary pneumothorax group. The secondary group was divided into term and preterm groups. Results: Of 4,414 inpatients, 57 (1.3%) were diagnosed with pneumothorax. Of term newborn patients, 28 (80%) had a secondary pneumothorax, and seven (20%) had a spontaneous pneumothorax. No differences were observed for gender, birth weight, resuscitation, or duration of admission between the spontaneous and control groups. The duration of treatment with a thoracostomy (20 patients, 57%) was longer in the spontaneous group (5.4${\pm}$2.9 days vs. 2.7${\pm}$2.0 days) than that in the control group. Patients with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) developed a pneumothorax 22.8 hours after surfactant treatment, whereas patients with transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), pneumonia, and meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) developed pneumothorax after 16.6 hours. Of 50 patients with a secondary pneumothorax, 19 (38%) had RDS, 11 (22%) had MAS, 7 (14%) had TTN, and six (12%) had pneumonia. Among term newborns, 42.9% were treated only with 100% oxygen. Among preterm newborns, 72.6% and 27.3% needed a thoracostomy or ventilator care, respectively. Conclusion: A pneumothorax is likely to develop when pulmonary disease occurs in neonates. Therefore, it is important to carefully identify pneumothorax and provide appropriate treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.46 no.10
• /
• pp.966-971
• /
• 2003

Purpose : It is now well established that infection and inflammation play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage. The loss of neutrophils from systemic circulation is an associated finding in injury mediated by granulocyte. Periventricular leukomalacia(PVL) caused by ischemia is the principal form of brain injury in premature infants. This study was conducted to evaluate whether the low neutrophil count is associated with periventricular leukomalacia(PVL) in premature infants. Methods : Retrospective review of medical records was undertaken. Subjects were premature infants with a birth weight of less than 1,500 gm, admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Kyungpook University Hospital. A complete blood count of peripheral blood was done within the 1st hour of life. Neutropenia was defined as absolute neutrophil count < $1,500/mm^3$, PVL as increased periventricular echodensities followed by cyst formation on ultrasonography or corresponding signs on brain MRI. Results : Thirteen infants out of a total population of 37 revealed neutropenia. Respiratory distress syndrome and requirement for respiratory support were not different between infants with neutropenia( neutropenia group) and infants without neutropenia(control group). Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and grade 3 and 4 IVH were more frequent in neutropenia group(P<0.05). There was no statistically significant increase of PVL in neutropenia group. The neutrophil count was $18,760.0{\pm}10,266.1/mm^3$, $7,272.0{\pm}7,435.0/mm^3$ infants with PVL and $11,131.7{\pm}3,386.5/mm^3$, $2,407.5{\pm}1,933.1/mm^3$ in infants without PVL, respectively. The frequency of mechanical ventilation and artificial surfactant therapy was higher in infants with PVL compared with infants without PVL, but statistical analysis was not performed due to small number of subjects. Conclusion : A low number of neutrophils in the systemic circulation was not associated with an increased risk of PVL in premature infants.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.67-74
• /
• 2005

Purpose : The incidence of mortality associated with respiratory difficulties is decreasing nowadays contributed to the development of neonatology. However, complications associated with mechanical ventilator are increasing. This study is to determine clinical manifestations, diagnositc availability of the endotracheal tip culture in patients with Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia(VAP) in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU). Methods : A retrospective analysis of 50 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital and had given mechanical ventilator from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2003. VAP group defined as neonates who had pneumonia with mechanical ventilation longer than 48 hours. They were classified into VAP group(n=13) and control group (n=37) and the prevalence, microorganisms cultured from the endotracheal tube tip and risk factors were investigated. Results : The prevalence of VAP was 26.0%(n=13) and the most dominant microorganism cultured in our NICU was methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococcus(MR-CNS) in 4 cases. Other microorganisms were Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and Klebsiella. Gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, respiratory distress syndrome, retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis, renal failure, pulmonary hemorrhage, pneumothorax were not different significantly between two groups except intraventricular hemorrhage(P<0.001) and patent ductus arteriosus(P<0.05). Duration of hospital stay and mortality rate were also not different significantly. Conclusion : VAP occurred at a significant rate among mechanically ventilated NICU patients. Despite of limitation of encotracheal tip culture, the most common microorganism was MR-CNS. We should be aware of occurrence of VAP in NICU neonate who were with mechanical ventilator and should treat with great care.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.50 no.12
• /
• pp.1200-1205
• /
• 2007

Purpose : We performed this study to investigate the outcome of surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) in above nearterm neonates who were required mechanical ventilatory care due to meconium aspiration pneumonia (MAP), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or other severe pneumonia (PN). Methods : 48 patients, gestational period ${\geq}36weeks$, who were admitted in NICU of Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University between July 1999 and June 2004 were enrolled. They were divided into three groups, MAP group (15 cases), RDS group (27 cases) and PN group (6 cases). All patients were received SRT and evaluated several clinical data (gestational age, oxygen index, duration of ventilator care) and outcome (complications and mortality rate) between pre-SRT and post-SRT. The mean dose of surfactant (modified bovine surfactant, Newfacten, Yuhan Co., Seoul, Korea) was 120 mg/kg. Results : Among each groups, mean pre-SRT OI was higher in MAP group ($21{\pm}3.2$) than other groups, mean duration (days) of ventilatory care and oxygen therapy were similar distributions. Compared with pre-SRT values, significant improvements (P<0.05) in mean values for FiO2 and oxygenation index were documented at 12 hours after SRT. Early complications (persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborm, pneumothorax) and survival rate were lower in MAP group. Within RDS group, earlier SRT (given before 12 hours of life) revealed significantly lower early complication rate than later SRT (given after 12 hours of life) (13.3% vs 58.3%, P<0.05) Conclusion : Our study suggested that SRT seems to be an effective therapy in above nearterm neonates with severe pulmonary disease, and earlier SRT tends to reduce complications in RDS group than later therapy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.45 no.8
• /
• pp.961-966
• /
• 2002

Purpose : We compared the underlying or associated diseases according to the frequency of platelet transfusions in neonates with thrombocytopenia to know the factors predicting which patients will require multiple platelet transfusions. We also compared mortality. Methods : A retrospective study was performed in 72 neonates who received the platelet transfusions in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU) between August 1996 and July 2001. Group I received one platelet transfusion and group II received two or more. We compared the frequency of underlying or assodiated diseases such as sepsis/disseminated intravascular coagulopathy(DIC), respiratory distress syndrome(RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage(IVH), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC), liver or renal disease, and mortality between two groups. Results : Of the 72 patients, 29(40.2%) received one and 43(59.7%) received two or more transfusions; 16(22.2%) received four or more. There were no statistically significant differences in gestational age, birth weight, sex, and maternal history between two groups. C-section rate was higher in group II(20.7% vs. 55.8%, P<0.05) and the incidence of PDA was higher in group I (55.2% vs. 30.2%, P<0.05). Otherwise, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of sepsis/DIC, RDS, IVH, RDS, CLD, NEC, liver or renal disease, pulmonary hemorrhage and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and mortality between group I and group II. Conclusion : There was no significant difference in clinical morbidity and mortality according to the frequency of platelet transfusion in neonates with thrombocytopenia. Further study is needed to know the predicting factor for multiple platelet transfusions in neonates with thrombocytopenia.