Introduction: mechanical ventilation is used in all Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The patients with more than a week with mechanical ventilation can develop complications in the airway. The diagnosis is carrying out with a bronchoscope.
Objective: to determine the type of complications presented in a group of neonates who had received, one o more weeks, mechanical ventilation, through bronchoscopy.
Methods: we realized a retrospective reviewed of the charts of patients with mechanical ventilation in a NICU during a one-year period and whom a bronchoscopy was carried out for respiratory distress after extubation. We analyzed; the type of lesion, age of gestation and birth weight, gender, mechanical ventilation days, atelectasis, age and days of extra uterine life in the moment of the bronchoscopy. In the variables we achieved frequency, averages, media and standard deviations.
Results: we reviewed 55 charts. The mean gestational age was 34 weeks, birth weight 2075 g and 38 days with mechanical ventilation. Male 52.7 %. Atelectasis in 78.7 %, a third of the patients required mechanical ventilation after extubation. The airway lesions were (%); bronchial stenosis 25.4, laryngotracheobronchitis 18.1, laryngeal edema 10.9, laryngotracheitis 7.2, laryngomalacia 7.2 %, ulcer 7.2, cord paralysis 5.4, granulom 3.6 and normal 3.6. Three required tracheotomy.
Conclusion: subglotic stenosis was the complications more frequent. Ideally all the neonates after mechanical ventilation shoud realized a bronchoscopy for preventing complications.