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Child Has Respiratory Distress After Birth. Chest X-ray Shows Phlegm Accumulation. Any Serious Issue?
My baby is 20 days old and he was suffering from respiratory distress post birth. After a 12 day stay in the NICU he was discharged, during which he was supplemented with oxygen for first 4-5 days. After that his distress reduced visibly, with minor noises audible from his breathing infrequently. This also stopped when we reached home after 12 days in NICU. I took him to the doctor for a review, and after an XRAY of the chest he told me that the baby is having problem breathing as phlegm is accumulating in the lungs. He has prescribed one week of medicine and wants us to get back for a review, if things do not improve then he needs to be hospitalized for taking the phlegm out of his lungs. I want to know if there is any serious issue that I need to be worried about.
Mon, 19 Nov 2012
hello there,
this seems to be a mucous plug that may be compromising his breath at present. this plug generally causes collapse of a part of lung as it is not aerated due to this plug blocking the passage.
generally this clears up on its own and the collapsed lung opens up. but if it does not happen, we need to remove the plug by bronchoscope. (a scope sent through the resoiratory passage into the lungs).
generally this is a safe procedure in experienced hands and is done under sedation. but as any other major procedure it has risks associated.
so at present what you can do best is to pray for the plug to resolve on its own and hope for the best.
wish your baby an early recovery
thanks
amit
this seems to be a mucous plug that may be compromising his breath at present. this plug generally causes collapse of a part of lung as it is not aerated due to this plug blocking the passage.
generally this clears up on its own and the collapsed lung opens up. but if it does not happen, we need to remove the plug by bronchoscope. (a scope sent through the resoiratory passage into the lungs).
generally this is a safe procedure in experienced hands and is done under sedation. but as any other major procedure it has risks associated.
so at present what you can do best is to pray for the plug to resolve on its own and hope for the best.
wish your baby an early recovery
thanks
amit
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