[Accidental saline poisoning in newborn infants. Morphologic findings and pathogenetic discussion]

In the nursery of an Austrian hospital, five newborns accidentally received 10% natrium chloride solution by infusion or oral feeding. Because of wrong labelling by the hospital pharmacy the solution was taken for 10% glucose. In all five newborns, bradycardia, edemas, cyanosis and cramps occurred. In all cases, autopsy revealed a fatal haemorrhagic encephalopathy and more or less extended haemorrhages of the lungs, the kidneys and the liver. There was no suppurative pneumonia and no arteritis. The intracerebral bleedings, thromboses and necroses may be provoked by tissue shrinking caused by hypernatraemic dehydration. The cerebral lesions again cause hyperosmolarity leading to death in most cases. Peritoneal dialysis which may be life-saving in some cases, unfortunately has not been performed in the present cases.