Sudden Death 10 Hours after Birth Due to Congenital Pneumonia.

Korean J Leg Med. 2003 May;27(1):96-100. Korean.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Southern District of National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea. nisi2794@hanmail.net

Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Korea.

Congenital pneumonia is defined as pneumonia acquired transplacentally or perinatally. It is frequently associated with prolonged rupture of the membranes, chorioamnionitis, prolonged labor, premature labor, fetal distress, prematurity and meconium staining. It is one of the important causes of neonatal death. We report a case of congenital pneumonia of a full-term, female neonate who was born by cesarian section and died at 10th hours of her life. There were no maternal signs and symptoms of infection and amniotic fluid was not stained with meconium at birth. We insist that full physical examination and routine laboratory examinations including simple chest X ray are required even in grossly normal neonate without specific risk factors and that possibility of neonatal pneumonia should always be considered when the cause of death cannot be explained immediately by gross autopsy findings.

Key Words : Pneumonia, Congenital, Sudden Infant Death