Parents, eagerly awaiting the birth of his baby, tend to worry about his health. Unfortunately, sometimes their fears are justified. One of the most common pathologies in labor is fetal and newborn asphyxia. Many parents, hearing this diagnosis, perceive it as a sentence and immediately panic. We also recommend to begin to understand the essence of this problem and, at all costs, to maintain a positive attitude.
Causes and types of asphyxia of newborns
Asphyxia is a state of the newborn in which the breathing process is disrupted, leading to the development of oxygen deficiency. Statistics state that about 70% of children are born with different kinds and degrees of asphyxia.
There are asphyxiation of two types:
- primary (occurs at birth);
- secondary (develops in the first day of life of the baby).
The development of primary asphyxiation is always promoted by weighty factors. It can be:
- intrauterine hypoxia (acute or chronic);
- intracranial birth trauma of the child;
- incompatibility of the mother and fetus immunologically;
- complete or partial obstruction of the airway of the child with amniotic fluid or mucus;
- extragenital diseases of the mother during pregnancy;
- pathological course of pregnancy;
- abnormalities of labor (pathologically narrow pelvis of the mother, improper insertion of the fetal head, in some cases, cord embossing).
Among the causes of secondary asphyxia are:
- congenital pneumonia in the child;
- impaired cerebral circulation;
- ingress of vomit into the respiratory tract;
- disruption of the central nervous system of the baby.
What happens with asphyxiation?
Regardless of the causes of asphyxia, the child immediately begins to change the metabolic processes. In the case when hypoxia of the fetus took place first, and then asphyxia of the newborn occurred, the child may develop hypovolemia. Hypovolemia is characterized by a change in the consistency of the blood. Blood thickens, its viscosity increases, platelets and red blood cells acquire increased aggregation capacity.
In the brain, in the heart, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands of the newborn, hemorrhages and swelling due to hypoxia of the tissues can be detected.
Reduction of peripheral and central hemodynamics leads to a decrease in the number of cardiac contractions, blood pressure drops.
The metabolic process is disrupted, which leads to a worsening of the urinary function of the kidneys.
The main sign of asphyxia of newborns is a violation of the respiration process, which is fraught with a change in the rhythm of the heart and a pathological change in the functioning of the nervous system.
Emergency care and resuscitation of newborns with asphyxiation.
Immediately, after the birth of a child with asphyxiation, neonatology doctors must carefully examine it to assess the condition on the Apgar scale. All such children need immediate intensive care. The sooner medical treatments are started, the higher their effectiveness will be. Everything starts right in the delivery room. Doctors constantly have to monitor the basic parameters of the baby's life:
- heart rate;
- hematocrit;
- frequency of respiratory movements, their depth.
Based on these data, doctors conclude that
Asphyxia of newborns can have such consequences:
- hyper and hypoexcitability;
- convulsive syndrome;
- hydrocephalic syndrome;
- diencephalic disorders.
The probability of such consequences depends on the severity of the asphyxia transferred to the newborn. And to reduce the risk of these complications and timely treatment if necessary, regular consultation of specialists of the appropriate profiles is recommended.