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On the Effect of the Hyaline Membranes in the Lungs of Newborn Infants
Author(s) -
RANSTRÖM S.
Publication year - 1953
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1953.tb05599.x
Subject(s) - atelectasis , medicine , hyaline , asphyxia , membrane , pneumonia , lung , pathology , pediatrics , biology , genetics
Summary An analysis of 30 cases of newborn infants with hyaline membranes in the lungs has led to the conclusion that these membranes are of no significant functional importance in the vast majority of castas. In more than half of the cases death was considered due to pneumonia. In cases where there was no pneumonia or demonstrable extrapulmonary cause of death the significant factor in the prevention of the gaseous exchange in the lungs was primary and/or secondary atelectasis. The atelectasis was not only located in parts of the lungs corresponding to the membranes. The clinical diagnosis of “membrane asphyxia” in the sense of “asphyxia caused by membrane formation” must be limited to cases with very abundant and widespread membranes causing secondary atelectasis.