Management of meconium-stained neonates

We examined the use of a new scoring system for the meconium-stained infant, which was designed to help the neonatologist decide on the appropriate therapeutic approach in the delivery room. Eighty meconium-stained infants were scored for: presence of fetal distress; meconium quality; performance of nasopharyngeal suctioning before the first breath and clinical condition in the first minute of life. Management consisted of gentle oropharyngeal suctioning or intubation and tracheal suctioning. Clinical outcome was compared with that of 100 meconium-stained infants born a year earlier. All babies in the control group underwent laryngoscopy and 30% were subsequently intubated. Universal laryngoscopy was not performed in the study group, and only 22.5% of these infants were intubated. The clinical outcome of the studied babies was identical to that of the newborns treated by the standard procedure. The use of the meconium intubation score eliminated the need for universal delivery room laryngoscopy for meconium-stained infants and significantly reduced the number of intubations performed.