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Prevention of meconium obstruction in very low birth weight preterm infants

A J Solaz-García1, L Segovia-Navarro1, J L Rodríguez de Dios-Benlloch1

  • 1Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales, Servicio de Neonatología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España.

Enfermeria Intensiva
|September 25, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Conservative treatment effectively prevents meconium obstruction in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. This approach successfully facilitated meconium expulsion, avoiding surgical intervention for these vulnerable newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Delayed meconium expulsion is a significant cause of bowel obstruction in extremely premature newborns (<28 weeks gestational age) weighing under 1500g.
  • This condition poses a serious risk to the health and survival of very-low-birth-weight infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of conservative management strategies in preventing meconium-related bowel obstruction.
  • To determine if non-surgical interventions can successfully resolve meconium impaction in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective descriptive study was conducted in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
  • The study included very-low-birth-weight preterm infants diagnosed with meconium obstruction between August 2016 and January 2017.

Main Results:

  • Out of 42 infants studied, 57.1% passed meconium spontaneously.
  • The remaining 42.9% received conservative treatments, including saline enemas (72.2%), acetylcysteine enemas (16%), and Gastrografin® (16%).
  • Crucially, no infants in the study required surgical intervention for meconium obstruction.

Conclusions:

  • Conservative treatment is an effective method for managing meconium obstruction in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants.
  • Non-surgical approaches successfully promote meconium expulsion, highlighting their value in preventing the need for surgery.
Abstract

Keywords:
EnemaEnfermerosIntestinal obstructionMeconioMeconiumNewbornNursesObstrucción intestinalRecién nacido

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