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Jonathan E. Gage, MD; H. William Taeusch, Jr, MD; Salvador Treves, MD; William Caldicott, MD

JAMA. 1981;246(22):2590-2592.

Abstract
To compare the efficacy of bulb and catheter suctioning of upper airway meconium in neonates, meconium labeled with technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid was injected into the trachea and oropharynx of anesthetized kittens. Human birth conditions were simulated by an inflated blood pressure cuff around the thorax and abdomen of the animals and by partial degassing of the lungs before introduction of meconium. Distribution of meconium in the upper airway was determined by scintigraph. Catheter suction brought about a 43% decrease in radioactivity, while there was only a 1% decrease after bulb suctioning. Meconium may persist in the trachea for more than 20 minutes after introduction, indicating the desirability of continued suctioning efforts in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome. The relative safety of the two techniques was not assessed.

(JAMA 1981;246:2590-2592)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Internal Medicine, Billings Hospital, University of Chicago (Dr Gage); the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School (Dr Taeusch), and the Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Medical Center (Drs Treves and Caldicott), Boston.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Joint Program in Neonatology, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Dr Taeusch).

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