Relationship between neonatal respiratory distress syndrome pulmonary ultrasonography and respiratory distress score, oxygenation index, and chest radiography grading

Abstract

BACKGROUND Accurate condition assessment is critical for improving the prognosis of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), but current assessment methods for RDS pose a cumulative risk of harm to neonates. Thus, a less harmful method for assessing the health of neonates with RDS is needed. AIM To analyze the relationships between pulmonary ultrasonography and respiratory distress scores, oxygenation index, and chest X-ray grade of neonatal RDS to identify predictors of neonatal RDS severity. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed the medical information of 73 neonates with RDS admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Liupanshui Maternal and Child Care Service Center between April and December 2022. The pulmonary ultrasonography score, respiratory distress score, oxygenation index, and chest X-ray grade of each newborn before and after treatment were collected. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationships among these values and neonatal RDS severity. RESULTS The pulmonary ultrasonography score, respiratory distress score, oxygenation index, and chest X-ray RDS grade of the neonates were significantly lower after treatment than before treatment (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that before and after treatment, the pulmonary ultrasonography score of neonates with RDS was positively correlated with the respiratory distress score, oxygenation index, and chest X-ray grade (ρ = 0.429–0.859, P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that pulmonary ultrasonography screening effectively predicted the severity of neonatal RDS (area under the curve = 0.805–1.000, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The pulmonary ultrasonography score was significantly associated with the neonatal RDS score, oxygenation index, and chest X-ray grade. The pulmonary ultrasonography score was an effective predictor of neonatal RDS severity.