Neonatal aspiration is when a baby inhales fluid, food, or birthing materials into their lungs. There are two basic types of neonatal aspiration, including meconium aspiration syndrome and standard aspiration. Meconium aspiration syndrome occurs when the baby inhales meconium and amniotic fluid as they are being born, while other forms of neonatal aspiration happen at a later time.
Regardless of when or how neonatal aspiration occurs, it is important to treat, as it can result in breathing difficulties, lung infections, and even death. Treatment for neonatal aspiration will vary depending on the type of aspiration and when it happens. However, the goal of treating any type of aspiration is to remove fluid from the lungs, prevent infection, and ensure your baby can breathe normally.
If your baby is diagnosed with meconium aspiration syndrome, your doctor will immediately perform suction to attempt to remove the fluid from their lungs. Meconium and amniotic fluid are extremely sticky and can cause severe breathing problems if they enter the lungs. This, in turn, can lead to a lung infection and become deadly if it is not treated quickly.
If suction is unsuccessful and your baby is struggling to breathe or not breathing at all, they may need to be put on a mechanical ventilator. The ventilator will force air into your baby’s lungs and breathe for them to ensure they get enough oxygen to stay alive.
Depending on the severity of your child’s neonatal aspiration, they may also need a surfactant. A surfactant is a substance that reduces friction and stickiness caused by the meconium. This is important to keep the airways from sticking together, which can result in suffocation or a lung infection.
In some instances, if your child has neonatal aspiration for too long and it weakens the heart and lungs, they may need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO is a treatment that helps your heart and lungs function and recover following damage due to aspiration. This is important because your organs and muscles may be too weak to function on their own.
For some babies, neonatal aspiration occurs mainly while they are asleep. To combat this, they may need to be hooked up to a CPAP machine while they sleep to direct air into their lungs and keep aspiration from occurring. CPAP machines are also helpful in treating sleep apnoea, which can be a side effect of neonatal aspiration.
Another treatment to deal with the stickiness of meconium in the lungs and chest is to perform chest percussions. Chest percussions, which are light tapping on the chest, loosens the meconium and fluid in the lungs and make it easier to remove with suction.
If neonatal aspiration remains undetected for too long, it can result in a lung infection. When this happens, they will need antibiotics to kill the infection and keep it from damaging the lungs too much. Antibiotics, including ampicillin and cefotaxime, cannot cure neonatal aspiration, but they can prevent serious lung complications.
In the case of ongoing neonatal aspiration, where your baby infrequently struggles with fluid in the lungs, there are home remedies that can help.
While neonatal aspiration can be frightening for parents, it is a condition that is very treatable if it is spotted early enough. This is especially the case with meconium aspiration syndrome, which can be deadly if it is not dealt with quickly. However, in most cases, with diagnosis and treatment, children with neonatal aspiration make a full recovery and live a normal life.