Definition

Noun: A serious medical condition, primarily affecting premature newborn infants, characterized by severe difficulty in breathing due to the lungs' inability to fully expand because of a deficiency in surfactant, a substance that keeps the air sacs in the lungs from collapsing.

Usage

This term is used exclusively in medical contexts to diagnose and describe a specific, life-threatening condition in neonates. * The premature baby was immediately placed on a ventilator due to respiratory distress syndrome. * Administering artificial surfactant is a standard treatment for respiratory distress syndrome.

Advanced Usage

• The condition is often abbreviated as RDS in clinical notes and discussions.
  • The pediatrician noted "RDS" as the primary diagnosis on the chart.
• Historically and informally, it was known as hyaline membrane disease (HMD), referring to the glassy membrane that forms in the lungs.
  • Older medical texts may refer to this condition as hyaline membrane disease.

Variants and Related Words

• Surfactant Deficiency Disorder: A more descriptive technical term highlighting the primary cause of RDS.
• Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (NRDS): A variant of the term that explicitly specifies the newborn context.

Synonyms

• Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD): (Historical/clinical synonym)
• Surfactant Deficiency Disorder: (Descriptive synonym)

Related Phrases

• To be diagnosed with RDS: The common phrasing for confirming the condition.
  • The infant was diagnosed with RDS shortly after birth.
• To develop RDS: Describes the onset of the condition.
  • Premature babies are at high risk of developing RDS.

Noun

1. an acute lung disease of the newborn (especially the premature newborn); lungs cannot expand because of a wetting agent is lacking; characterized by rapid shallow breathing and cyanosis and the formation of a glassy hyaline membrane over the alveoli