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Transient tachypnea - newborn - Treatment

Alternative Names

TTN; Wet lungs - newborns; Retained fetal lung fluid; Transient RDS

Treatment:

Your baby will be given oxygen as needed to maintain an adequate blood oxygen level. Your baby' s oxygen requirement will usually be highest within a few hours after birth and then begin to decrease. Most infants with transient tachypnea improve in less than 12 - 24 hours.

Very rapid breathing can cause the baby to feed ineffectively. Fluids and nutrients will be given through a vein until your baby improves. Your baby may also receive antibiotics until infection is ruled out. Rarely, babies with transient tachypnea may have persistent lung problems for as long as 1 week.

Expectations (prognosis):

The condition usually goes away completely within 24 - 48 hours after delivery. Babies who have had transient tachypnea usually have no further problems associated with the condition, and do not need special care or follow-up other than their routine pediatrician visits.

Reviewed last on: 12/18/2009
A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (12/18/2009).

References

Dudell GG, Stoll BJ. Respiratory tract disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 101.

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