Lung Syndrome
During the late 1950s two doctors named Dr.Mary Ellen Avery and the other Dr.Jere Mead were working at harvard at the time,they demonstrated that surfactant was lacking in the lungs of premature babies which is needed to help fill the lungs with air .without it the alveoli will fail leading to a risk of inflammation of the lungs usually with complicators leaving gas build up in the space surrounding the lungs(pneumothorax),the space between the lungs (pneumomediastinum) and the area between the heart and the thin sac that surrounds the heart. It wasn't till the 1960s and 1970s that neonatal intensive care unit beds became filled with some survivors.although many still died or developed further diseases there are fewer than
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According to the national heart,lung,and blood institute, in 2003, approximately 40,000 infants and 150,000 adults were reported with RDS meaning about one person out of 6,800 has RDS. It is very important to be careful with this syndrome because if an infant or breathing machine tried to apply some pressure to the lungs there is a high chance of it to rupture causing air to leak making the lung collapse sinking in even farther which turns it into a more severe case, usually this can be seen with the help of a chest x ray …show more content…
On the bright side humanity has made a manufactured surfactant that is usually given to newborns with RDS as soon as possible within the first six hours after birth. The manufactured surfactant is a white powder that is mixed with sterile water and given through a feeding tube that is inserted inthe babys lungs usually in multiple doses. This type of therapy continues until the infant's lungs are fully developed and is able to produce surfactant on its own. This therapy has reduced deaths from respiratory distress by 50% since the early 1990s it's usually expensive but usually can be covered by insurance. With this syndrome there are a few exams or tests you can do such as :
● Blood gas analysis- measures acidity (ph) and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood from a
According to the national heart,lung,and blood institute, in 2003, approximately 40,000 infants and 150,000 adults were reported with RDS meaning about one person out of 6,800 has RDS. It is very important to be careful with this syndrome because if an infant or breathing machine tried to apply some pressure to the lungs there is a high chance of it to rupture causing air to leak making the lung collapse sinking in even farther which turns it into a more severe case, usually this can be seen with the help of a chest x ray …show more content…
On the bright side humanity has made a manufactured surfactant that is usually given to newborns with RDS as soon as possible within the first six hours after birth. The manufactured surfactant is a white powder that is mixed with sterile water and given through a feeding tube that is inserted inthe babys lungs usually in multiple doses. This type of therapy continues until the infant's lungs are fully developed and is able to produce surfactant on its own. This therapy has reduced deaths from respiratory distress by 50% since the early 1990s it's usually expensive but usually can be covered by insurance. With this syndrome there are a few exams or tests you can do such as :
● Blood gas analysis- measures acidity (ph) and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood from a