Abstract
Histopathological examination of the upper airway was performed on 71 autopsied infants, of whom 61 cases died during conventional mechanical ventilation in the neonatal period at Matsudo municipal hospital. Results are as follows : 1. Necrotizing tracheobronchitis (NTB) was found in 47 cases (66 %) . Of those 18 cases (38 %) were Grade 1, 15 cases (32 %) were Grade 2, 14 cases (30 %) were Grade 3. 2. There were, statistically, more NTB lesions at the carina and mainstem bronchi of the total upper airway. 3. Of the clinical factors affecting mean airway pressure (MAP), the NTB group was statistically higher than the non-NTB group. The non-NTB group score of inflammatory change was statistically higher than that of the NTB group, which was correlated with the degree of NTB lesion. 4. High-frequency oscillation (HFO) was not obviously related to the occurrence of NTB. We conclude that tracheal perfusion volume is related to the occurrence of NTB, and infectious factors are correlated with the severity of NTB.
