Delayed adaptation of the pulmonary hemodynamics in infants with mild to moderate meconium aspiration syndrome.

Early postnatal pulmonary hemodynamic changes were investigated with Doppler echocardiography in 17 infants with mild or moderate meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) and 16 healthy infants in a control group. The results indicate that the physiologic adaptation of the pulmonary hemodynamics is delayed in mild and moderate forms of MAS. Thus infants with clinical evidence of MAS need careful cardiovascular monitoring during postnatal circulatory transition.