Pathophysiology and Mechanism
The pathophysiology of MAS is due to a combination of primary surfactant deficiency and surfactant inactivation as a result of plasma proteins leaking into the airways from areas of epithelial disruption and injury.
The leading three causes of MAS are
- Due to physiologic maturational event,
- A response to acute hypoxic events, and
- A response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia.
If an infant inhales this mixture before, during, or after birth, it may be sucked deep into the lungs. Three main problems occur if this happens:
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- the material may block the airways
- efficiency of gas exchange in the lungs is lowered
- the meconium-tainted fluid is irritating, inflaming airways (pneumonitis) and possibly leading to chemical pneumonia.
These can lead to possibly fatal or long term health problems for the infant.
Read more about this topic: Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
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