Therapeutic Oxygen as a Possible Cause of Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Premature Infants

McADAMS1 recently re-emphasized the importance of pulmonary hemorrhage in autopsies on newborn infants and discussed this lesion in relation to other pathological findings, particularly hyaline-membrane disease and pontine necrosis. Infants with hyaline-membrane disease showed modest differences in weight and survival trends from those with pulmonary hemorrhage. Pontine necrosis, apparently a newly described lesion, was negatively correlated. A cursory review of the pathological findings in our recent clinicopathological study of premature newborn infants suggested a relation between the therapeutic use of oxygen and the presence of pulmonary hemorrhage. Accordingly, we undertook a systematic but retrospective study to make a more definite . . .