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respiratory distress syndrome
noun
: a respiratory disorder chiefly of newborn premature infants that is characterized by deficiency of the surfactant coating the inner surface of the lungs resulting in labored breathing, lung collapse, and hypoxemia compare acute respiratory distress syndrome
Examples of respiratory distress syndrome in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her primary focus was on hyaline membrane disease, sometimes called respiratory distress syndrome, in which alveoli — tiny air sacs in the lungs — do not properly inflate.
—Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
Acute care nurses These nurses provide advanced nursing care for patients with acute conditions like heart attacks, respiratory distress syndrome or shock.
—Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 12 Dec. 2023
Cincinnati Children's has developed a number of medical innovations over the years, including the development of the Sabin oral polio vaccine, a vaccine to combat rotavirus, and the identification of surfactant proteins as a routine treatment for respiratory distress syndrome, among others.
—Brooks Sutherland, The Enquirer, 9 Mar. 2022
Detzel’s 4-month-old daughter had respiratory distress syndrome and had also been hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
—Jean Lee, NBC News, 28 Dec. 2022
These nurses provide advanced nursing care for patients with acute conditions like heart attacks, respiratory distress syndrome, or shock.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2022
For children, the costliest outcomes were preterm birth ($13.7 billion), developmental disabilities ($6.5 billion), and respiratory distress syndrome ($2.2 billion), a breathing disorder that affects newborns.
—Laurie Zephyrin, STAT, 25 Nov. 2021
Moms who took progesterone were also less likely to have babies with respiratory distress syndrome, one of the most dangerous problems for premature infants.
—Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2021
The premature infant was diagnosed with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia and needed to be resuscitated at birth.
—NBC News, 27 Mar. 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1964, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of respiratory distress syndrome was
in 1964
Dictionary Entries Near respiratory distress syndrome
Cite this Entry
“Respiratory distress syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respiratory%20distress%20syndrome. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
respiratory distress syndrome
noun
: a respiratory disorder that occurs in newborn premature infants and is characterized by deficiency of the surfactant coating the inner surface of the lungs, by failure of the lungs to expand and contract properly during breathing with resulting collapse, and by the accumulation of a protein-containing film lining the alveoli and their ducts
—abbreviation RDS
called also hyaline membrane disease
see acute respiratory distress syndromeMore from Merriam-Webster on respiratory distress syndrome
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about respiratory distress syndrome
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