Meconium Aspiration Syndrome - Reston Hospital Center | Reston, VA
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Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

Definition

Meconium is the first stool of an infant. Sometimes this stool is passed in the fluid that surrounds the baby in pregnancy.
Meconium aspiration is when the meconium is inhaled into the baby’s lungs. Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) is a set of symptoms that may result from meconium inhalation.

Causes

Not all infants that inhale meconium will develop these symptoms. It is not known why some infants develop MAS and others do not.

Risk Factors

Factors that increase your baby’s risk of meconium aspiration include:
  • Post-term delivery (delivery after 42 weeks of pregnancy)
  • Cesarean delivery
  • Abnormal heart rate during labor
  • Reduced amniotic fluid
  • Low birth weight
  • Meconium below the baby’s vocal cords
  • Low APGAR score after birth (assessment score of baby after birth)
Factors in the mother that increase the chance of meconium aspiration in the child include:
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Diabetes
  • Respiratory disease
  • Heart disease
  • Smoking
  • Heavily meconium stained amniotic fluid

Symptoms

Symptoms of MAS may include:
  • Breathing that is too rapid or too slow
  • Blue skin color due to lack of oxygen
  • Grunting
  • Nostrils that spread outward when breathing
  • Reduced muscle movement
  • A heart rate of less than 100 beats per minute

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam. Your doctor may order tests to look for complications or causes.
  • The doctor may need to see pictures of your baby’s chest. This can be done with:
    • Chest x-ray
    • Echocardiography
  • The doctor may also need to measure the level of oxygen in the blood. This can be done with:
    • Pulse oximetry
    • Blood tests

Treatment

Meconium aspiration may not cause serious problems. Your doctor will monitor your baby. Other treatment may not be needed.
Supportive care may be needed if the aspiration is causing breathing difficulty. Your baby may need to be monitored in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan. Options include:

Oxygen Therapy

MAS can lower the amount of oxygen to your baby’s body. Your baby may be given oxygen in the delivery room. The oxygen will be given through a mask or a hood that fits over the baby’s head. This will improve the amount of oxygen in the body by making more available in the lungs.
The therapy may be continued if your baby continues to have problems breathing.

Fluid Therapy

Your baby may be given IV fluids to control blood pressure and glucose levels.

Medication

Your baby may be given medication. The medication will coat the lungs and help clear the airways. This will also help your baby’s lungs mature.
Other medication may include antibiotics or heart medication. A special gas called nitric oxide may also be added. This gas can help open the blood vessels in the lungs. This will let more oxygen enter the body.

Support Care

In some cases, your baby may not be able to breathe properly on his own. Mechanical ventilation may be used to help your baby breathe.

Prevention

Take these steps to help reduce your baby’s chance of MAS:
  • Manage chronic conditions. This includes high blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory disease, and heart disease.
  • If you smoke, quit.

RESOURCES

American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.healthychildren.org

KidsHealth.org http://kidshealth.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES

AboutKidsHealth http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca

Canadian Paediatric Society http://www.cps.ca

References

Meconium aspiration. KidsHealth.org website. Available at: http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/meconium.html#a%5FPrevention . Updated October 2011. Accessed December 10, 2012.

Meconium aspiration. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital website. Available at: http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/hrnewborn/mecasp.html . Accessed December 10, 2012.

Meconium aspiration. University of Rochester Medical Center website. Available at: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/Encyclopedia/Content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P02384 . Accessed December 10, 2012.

Meconium aspiration syndrome. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/ . Updated August 24, 2012. Accessed December 10, 2012.

Revision Information

  • Reviewer:
  • Review Date: 03/2013 -
  • Update Date: 00/31/2013 -

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

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