Respiratory Distress in the Newborn: Experience of Pediatric Emergency Department

The transition from fetal life to extrauterine life is accompanied by significant changes involving a need for adaptation. This leads to the admission of a large number of newborns in neonatal units. Currently, there is an increasing incidence of respiratory distress in all newborns admitted to Pediatric Emergency Departments. Through an analytical and descriptive retrospective study, carried out in the Pediatric Emergency department of the University Hospital Mohammed VI of Marrakesh, including newborns treated for respiratory distress over a period of one year; we have analyzed the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, and evolutionary aspects of neonatal respiratory distress. The total number of neonates hospitalized for respiratory distress was 381 cases with a sex ratio of 1.4. The average age of our patients was 4.68 ± 6.87 days with extremes ranging from 1 to 28 days. The prematurity rate was 33.1% and 41% of newborns had low birth weight. The majority of cases were of rural origin (49.4%). More than half (51.15%) of pregnancies were poorly monitored, medicalized deliveries represented 91.7% in our series, and 78.4% were by vaginal route against 21.6% by cesarean section. The infectious anamnesis was positive in 51.7%. Respiratory distress was the main reason for consultation in pediatric emergencies (52%). Nearly 19% of newborns had moderate respiratory distress. Rapid recognition of respiratory distress and initiation of appropriate treatment play a key role in the quality of care.