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What Causes Breathing Problem In A Child After Few Hours Of Birth?
Question: My sis in law just delivered twins on 31st july 2015. A baby boy and a girl .The bay girl is doing perfectly fine, however the baby boy has been unwell.
Few hours after the birth he started having breathing problems and was kept on ventilators. Next day he was moved to a child care specialist hospital in XXXXXXX and blood test showed lower glucose and hyperviscosity (where the blood is thicker than it is supposed to be). The doctors started giving him external glucose from the navel, which increased the glucose level to some extent and also reduced the hyperviscosity (which was little higher than the normal acceptable level), after 2 days.
All this while he is on external oxygen supply and at times they had to increase the oxygen supply too. (I have read multiple articles about twins having similar issues.)
Then the doctors said that the blood platelets count which should be >1Lakh was less and keeps ranging between 75k-95k at few times.Slowly over these days they have reduced the oxygen supply and went from 60% supply to 45 and then to 30 and now there is no external supply at all. The baby is being fed with spoons and is doing ok. PCt tests were done and some earlier reports which showed a Likely behavior has now become unlikely. However the child still has some retractions and we are wondering why is he is till having them.
Few hours after the birth he started having breathing problems and was kept on ventilators. Next day he was moved to a child care specialist hospital in XXXXXXX and blood test showed lower glucose and hyperviscosity (where the blood is thicker than it is supposed to be). The doctors started giving him external glucose from the navel, which increased the glucose level to some extent and also reduced the hyperviscosity (which was little higher than the normal acceptable level), after 2 days.
All this while he is on external oxygen supply and at times they had to increase the oxygen supply too. (I have read multiple articles about twins having similar issues.)
Then the doctors said that the blood platelets count which should be >1Lakh was less and keeps ranging between 75k-95k at few times.Slowly over these days they have reduced the oxygen supply and went from 60% supply to 45 and then to 30 and now there is no external supply at all. The baby is being fed with spoons and is doing ok. PCt tests were done and some earlier reports which showed a Likely behavior has now become unlikely. However the child still has some retractions and we are wondering why is he is till having them.
Brief Answer:
Takes time
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for writing to us.
Usually respiratory distress takes a week or more to settle completely.
I have seen the reports. The oxygenation is fine. I do understand he is now off oxygen. That indicates his respiratory distress is settling almost completely. The mild rretractions will settle soon as the lungs are coming to normalcy.
Do you have latest xray chest of the baby? If there is any infection in the lungs that could cause distress too.
Now that procalcitonin is negative I think he is responding to treatment with antibiotics.
Don't worry. He will settle down in a few days.
Let me know chest xray report.
Regards
Dr Arun
Takes time
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for writing to us.
Usually respiratory distress takes a week or more to settle completely.
I have seen the reports. The oxygenation is fine. I do understand he is now off oxygen. That indicates his respiratory distress is settling almost completely. The mild rretractions will settle soon as the lungs are coming to normalcy.
Do you have latest xray chest of the baby? If there is any infection in the lungs that could cause distress too.
Now that procalcitonin is negative I think he is responding to treatment with antibiotics.
Don't worry. He will settle down in a few days.
Let me know chest xray report.
Regards
Dr Arun
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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