Meconium Aspiration (3)

Question 1

What is the passing of meconium in the womb a sign of?

What are the risk factors for this?

Answer 1

➊ Foetal distress and hypoxia

➋ • Long/difficult delivery
• Born after due date
• Maternal DM/HTN, Smoking, or Drugs
• Foetal growth restriction

Question 2

Meconium Aspiration Syndrome:
What is this?
→ What occurs here?

Which investigations should be done?

How is it managed?

Answer 2

➊ Respiratory distress in a neonate born through meconium-stained liquor (meconium-stained amniotic fluid)
→ Stressed baby gasps in the womb or soon after birth when taking first breaths – With this, they may inhale the meconium-stained fluid

➋ • CXR
• Bloods – FBC, CRP

➌ • Supplementary O2
• Surfactant
• Inhaled nitric oxide

Question 3

What’s another complication here?
→ What occurs here?
→ How does it present?
→ What is it an early indication of?

Answer 3

Meconium Ileus
→ Meconium is thicker than normal and causes bowel obstruction in the neonate
→ Failure to pass meconium in first 12-24 hrs, distended abdomen, and bilious vomiting
→ CF