Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) is a respiratory condition that affects premature babies born at less than 35 weeks of gestation, causing difficulty breathing and a layer of debris and dead tissue to build up in the lungs. Treatment involves giving the baby oxygen-rich air and supporting the baby if they have severe breathing problems. The best treatment is to keep the baby in the womb for as long as possible.
Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) is a respiratory condition that affects newborns, usually premature babies born at less than 35 weeks of gestation. This condition is fatal if left untreated and is a common cause of death for premature babies. Several techniques can be used to address hyaline membrane disease.
When babies are born prematurely, their lungs often haven’t started producing enough surfactant. Surfactant is a fluid that maintains surface tension in the lungs, allowing people to breathe in and out freely. Without surfactant, the inflatable sacs in the lungs will collapse, gradually cutting off the blood’s oxygen supply and eventually causing death. In hyaline membrane disease, a lack of surfactant causes difficulty breathing and a layer of debris and dead tissue builds up in the lungs, completely cutting off the oxygen supply.
This layer of material closely resembles hyaline cartilage, so called because it has a slightly glassy appearance and “hyaline” means “like glass.” Most doctors actually prefer to refer to this condition as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or infantile respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS). If a patient is born with this condition and no treatment is offered, she has three to four days to live.
In most cases, the condition is simply caused by being born prematurely. Some children also have a genetic defect that prevents them from producing all the surfactant they need. In both cases, treatment involves giving the baby oxygen-rich air and supporting the baby if she starts to have severe breathing problems. A ventilator can be used to help the baby breathe as the lungs develop surfactant. Newborns can also be treated with artificial surfactant dripped into their lungs.
The best treatment for hyaline membrane disease is to keep the baby in the womb for as long as possible so that the condition is avoided altogether. If a woman appears to be at risk of premature labor, she may also be given steroids to help the baby’s lungs develop more quickly in case she has to deliver early.
It is very easy to recognize a child with hyaline membrane disease. The baby has extreme difficulty breathing and may grunt or cough in an attempt to get air into his lungs. Commonly the baby also begins to turn blue due to lack of oxygen circulation, becoming bluish along the extremities or around the lips and mouth. Because premature babies are at high risk for hyaline membrane disease, the doctor will usually carefully examine a premature baby for any signs of respiratory distress so interventions can be provided quickly.
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