TTN; Wet lungs - newborns; Retained fetal lung fluid; Transient RDS

Transient tachypnea is a respiratory disorder usually seen shortly after delivery in full- or near-term babies.

• Transient means it is short-lived (usually less than 24 hours).
• Tachypnea means rapid breathing (most normal newborns take 40 - 60 breaths per minute).

As the baby grows in the womb, the lungs make a special fluid. This fluid fills the developing baby's lungs and helps them grow. When the baby is born at term, chemicals released during labor tell the lungs to stop making this special fluid. The baby's lungs start removing or reabsorbing it.

The first few breaths your baby takes after delivery fill the lungs with air and help to clear most of the remaining lung fluid.

Leftover fluid in the lungs causes the baby to breathe rapidly and makes it harder for the baby to keep the small air sacs of the lungs open.

Transient tachypnea is more likely to occur in babies:

• Babies born before 38 weeks gestation
• Delivered by C-section
• Whose mothers have diabetes

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Transient tachypnea Symptoms

Review Date: 12/18/2009
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (12/18/2009).

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)