The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for meconium aspiration syndrome in newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for meconium-tainted amniotic fluid and/or meconium aspiration syndrome. The records of all newborns who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for meconium-tainted amniotic fluid and/or meconium aspiration syndrome between January 2008 and December 2009 were retrospectively screened. A total of 218 newborns were included in the final analysis, of which, 98 developed meconium aspiration syndrome. First and fifth minute Apgar scores of ≤5, need for advanced intervention and deep tracheal aspiration in the delivery room, presence of thick meconium, low pH on arterial blood gas analysis, and umbilical cord entanglement were encountered more frequently in patients who developed meconium aspiration syndrome than in those who did not. The differences between groups with regards to week of gestation, birth weight, mode of delivery, gender, maternal characteristics, and frequency of maternal complications were statistically insignificant. In newborns with meconium-tainted amniotic fluid, the presence of a low Apgar score, need for advanced intervention and deep tracheal aspiration in the delivery room, thick meconium, low pH on arterial blood gas analysis, and umbilical cord entanglement should prompt rapid transfer to qualified centers, which would in turn decrease meconium aspiration syndrome-related morbidity and mortality rates.

Keywords: mekonyum boyalı amniyon sıvısı, mekonyum aspirasyon sendromu, Apgar skoru.