Question
What are the symptoms of neonatal pneumonia? My child was born via cesarean section and is now 21 days old. They occasionally spit up foam in their mouth. Could this be pneumonia? Are there other symptoms of pneumonia? What should we do then?
Answer
One, a history of foreign body aspiration such as meconium, large amounts of amniotic fluid, vaginal discharge, milk, or vomit. Two, prenatal infection history (1) Amniotic membrane rupture for more than 12 hours, especially over 24 hours; (2) Maternal TORCH infection; (3) Infection during delivery process, aspiration of contaminated vaginal discharge. Three, postnatal infection history. Four, catching a cold. Clinical and X-ray manifestations (1) Shallow breathing and rapid breathing; (2) Cyanosis; (3) Three Depression signs; (4) Spitting up foam; (5) Lung auscultation may be negative, or fine rales may be heard at the end of deep inspiration, indicating severe condition if fine rales are easily audible. (5) Chest X-ray may show punctate or patchy shadows in the lung fields. Treatment points (1) Keep warm; (2) Nasal cannula or face mask oxygen therapy; (3) Correct acidosis; (4) Pay attention to fluid and nutritional supplementation; (5) Antibiotics generally start with penicillin plus amoxicillin or ceftriaxone plus amoxicillin, cephalosporins can also be chosen. If considering Staphylococcus aureus infection, consider using new penicillins (benzathine penicillin, chloramphenicol, or dicloxacillin), erythromycin, and cephalosporins, etc. (6) Symptomatic treatment 1. Immediate tube drainage if complications such as tension pneumothorax or empyema occur; 2. Consider using ephedrine if there is concurrent fetal circulation (PFC), and add dopamine if there is concurrent hypotension.