Abstract
Serial samples of arterial blood were taken during the illness of 10 infants with severe hyaline membrane disease, four of whom required mechanical ventilation. After the first few days of the illness had passed, there was little true right-to-left shunting of blood, but severe hypoxemia was found during the breathing of room air. Normal gas exchange was present by a mean time of 14 days from birth in infants who did not require mechanical ventilation, but it was delayed for many weeks in mechanically ventilated infants. From the results of blood gas analyses during air and oxygen breathing, it is concluded that hypoxemia during recovery from hyaline membrane disease is probably caused by inequalities of ventilation and perfusion in the lungs. Careful monitoring of the arterial oxygen tension is necessary so that an appropriate concentration of oxygen can be given in the inspired gas.
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