Subglottic stenosis in newborn intensive care unit graduates

Five infants with postintubation subglottic stenosis were identified among 64 intubated patients in a follow-up clinic. The presence of laryngeal lesions was not suspected until three weeks to three months after discharge from their initial hospitalization. The onset of stridor, often precipitated by respiratory illness, led to the diagnosis, which in one case was delayed for as long as three months. No correlation was found between the presence of the severity of laryngeal pathology and the gestational age of the infants or the duration of intubation in this study. In spite of the precautions taken for the intubation of neonates requiring assisted ventilation, subglottic stenosis may develop in these infants and should always be considered in newborn intensive care unit graduates when they manifest refractory or recurrent respiratory obstruction in the first year of life. Routine follow-up of all intubated neonates to detect subglottic stenosis is recommended.