A group of 33 term infants with significant respiratory complications were compared with 3,194 term infants delivered during the same time period and without respiratory morbidity. Compared with controls, the study group had a higher incidence of
antepartum risk factors such as intrautrine growth retardation(12.1% versus 0.41%), postdatism(18.2% versus 2.79%) and intrapartum risk factors such as abnormal FHR (42.4% versus 3.2%), meconium-stained amniotic fluid(72.7% versus 6.9%). The odds
ratio
of intrauterine growth retardation for significant respiratory complications is 33.75 and that of postdatism is 7.753. The odds ratio of abnormal FHR for significant respiratory complications is 22.12 and that of meconium-stained amniotic fluid
is
36.23. Even in the presence of normal intrapartum FHR and 5-minute Apgar scores, infants with meconium-staines amniotic fluid had an incidence of respiratory complications 7~8 times higher than those with clear amniotic fluid. Antepartum risk
factors,
meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and abnormal FHR identified the fetus at high risk for significant respiratory complications.
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