22 Mrs Jones gave birth prematurely to her first child At bi

22. Mrs. Jones gave birth prematurely to her first child. At birth, the baby weighed 2 lb 8 oz. Within a few hours, the baby had developed severe dyspnea and was becoming cyanotic. Therapy with a positive pressure ventilator was prescribed. Answer the following questions related to the situation just described. Place your responses in the answer blanks. 1. The infant\'s condition is referred to as infant Res 2. It occurs because of a relative lack of 3. The function of the deficient substance is to 4. Explain what the positive pressure apparatus accomplishes.

Solution

1. The condition is referred to as infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) also called neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

2. It occurs due to relative lack of pulmonary surfactant. It is a developmental insufficiency and can also be caused due to structural immaturity in lungs.

3. The function of deficient substance (Surfactant) is to prevent collapse of terminal air spaces during the normal cycle of inhalation and exhalation.

4. Positive pressure keeps the alveoli open at the end of expiration and used to treat IRDS. It decreases the requirement of endotracheal ventilation in infants .