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Meconium aspiration (inhalation)

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)

Symptoms:

• Dark, greenish staining or streaking of the amniotic fluid or the obvious presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid
• Infant's skin stained greenish (occurs if meconium passed a long period before delivery)
• Infant appears limp at birth
• Bluish skin color in the infant
• Rapid breathing
• Labored breathing (the infant needs to work hard to breathe)
• Absence of breathing
• Signs of post-maturity such as weight loss, peeling skin

Signs and tests:

Before birth, the fetal monitor may show a slow heart rate. At birth, meconium is visible in the amniotic fluid. The infant may have a low Apgar score.

The physical examination of the infant may involve:

• Directly looking for meconium staining on the vocal cords with a laryngoscope in the delivery room. This is the most accurate evaluation for possible meconium aspiration.
• Listening to the infant's chest with a stethoscope and hearing abnormal breath sounds, especially coarse, crackly sounds.

Tests performed on the infant may include:

• Blood gas analysis showing low blood pH ( acidosis , an acidic condition of the blood), decreased pO2 and increased pCO2
• A chest x-ray showing patchy or streaky areas on lungs

• Review Date: 8/18/2006
• Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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