Respiratory Review

Respiratory care of the newborn is a primary focus of nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit because respiratory dysfunction represents a major reason for admission. Important research findings and discoveries, such as antenatal steroid use and exogenous surfactant replacement, have changed the extent, severity, and treatment of respiratory illness in the newborn. Understanding fetal lung development and events surrounding transition of the lung to extrauterine life provides a knowledge base when evaluating respiratory diseases. This article will review fetal lung development, transitional events affecting the lung after delivery, and current pathophysiologic presentation of 3 common respiratory disorders, including transient tachypnea of the newborn, meconium aspiration syndrome, and surfactant deficiency.