title: Gastric aspirate lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio and neonatal breathing difficulties.
abstract: Gastric aspirate lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratios in newborn infants at risk to develop breathing difficulties were studied. 51.6% of the infants with an immature L/S value developed clinical respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). In the RDS infants, the gastric aspirate L/S value was immature in 94.1%. The gastric aspirate L/S values of the infants with transient tachypnea or perinatal asphyxia did not differ significantly from those of the healthy infants. The severity of RDS correlated inversely to the gastric aspirate L/S value (r = -0.63, p less than 0.001, n = 17). The gastric aspirate L/S value can be used in differential diagnosis between RDS and other neonatal breathing difficulties. It is also a predictor of the severity of the developing RDS.
mesh_terms: D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000032:analysis*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000378:metabolism; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D013109:Sphingomyelins