Respiratory risk in infants (Essay Sample)

Respiratory Risk in Infants
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Respiratory Risk in Infants
Question
In healthy women with a low-risk pregnancy, is the risk of newborn respiratory disease higher when the infant is delivered by elective cesarean section than by vaginal delivery?
Study Population
Hansen et al (2008) carried out a research on the occurrence of respiratory morbidity among newborn babies. The study was carried within a period of 8 years from 1998 to 2006. During this period, the researcher obtained information for 34,458 pregnancies and deliveries for 37 to 41 weeks of gestation period. The number of elective cesarean deliveries studied was 2687. The study was carried out at Aarhus University Hospital in Netherlands. Pregnant women were selected to answer the questionnaires before and after birth, the midwife assisted in answering the questionnaire for each of the selected women.
Intervention
There has been little intervention by medical practitioners regarding the occurrence of respiratory morbidity in infants delivered through elective cesarean. This minimal intervention is because of lack of clear information to the clinicians about the causes of respiratory morbidity and other respiratory distresses found in infants delivered through elective cesarean. According to Hansen et al (2008), there is also limited information on whether the infants experiencing respiratory distresses suffer from serious illnesses later in life. However, there have been occurrences of severe respiratory morbidity, and in certain cases causing mortality among infants suffering from respiratory distresses. Hansen et al (2008), states that the mortality rate is common among children that experience respiratory morbidity and later suffer from pulmonary hypertension. There has been trials by clinicians to assist infants whose respiratory distress advance to pulmonary hypertension through Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). On the other hand, the etiology of the persistent pulmonary hypertension among the infants delivered through elective cesarean is not available. According to Hansen et al (2008), though most infants appear normal, some infants show signs of mild respiratory morbidity that is accompanied with minimal oxygen required. An examination by clinical officers indicates presence of retained lung fluid among the infants. In order to correct the problem, doctors administer surfactant. However, some infants show minimal response to surfactant administration.
Moreover, in the treatment of the respiratory morbidity, clinical officers also face challenges due to the prevailing research information. Previous researches indicate that breathing 100% oxygen in human beings increases susceptibility to atelectasis (Hansen et al, 2008). In adults, atelectasis occurs within five minutes of breathing 100% oxygen. Therefore, treating infants with respiratory morbidity with pure oxygen may result in the development of progressive absorption atelectasis. This limits the use of ECMO in treating respiratory morbidity among infants delivered through elective cesarean. However, oxygen inhalation appears to be the best method of reducing respiratory morbidity. This intervention places clinical officers in a fix regarding the best method to treat respiratory distresses among infants delivered through elective cesarean. The researchers need to carry out an in-depth analysis of the appropriate method to treat of the respiratory disorder. The researchers also need to evaluate whether there are future abnormalities resulting from the occurrence of respiratory distress.
Comparison
In comparing the occurrence of respiratory morbidity among infants delivered through vaginal delivery and elective cesarean, Hansen et al (2008) found big variations. In the analysis, the occurrence of respiratory morbidity was estimated at 16 per 1000 births of elective cesarean. The occurrence of respiratory morbidity varies from 6-16 in previous researches (Hansen et al, 2008). The high levels of respiratory morbidity among elective cesarean is because elective cesarean is done before the occurrence of labor pains. This is at betw...