Umbilical Cord Blood Acid-Base Parameters and Lactate as Predictors of Subsequent Meconium Aspiration Syndrome in Neonates.

Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in neonates born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition of at-risk neonates could help optimize treatment. The aim was to determine predictive characteristics of cord blood pH, base deficit and lactate with subsequent MAS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with area under curve (AUC) were estimated. Among 231 MSAF complicated pregnancies, 25 (10.8%) had MAS. Mean cord pH was significantly lower in neonates with MAS compared to those without MAS (7.15 ± 0.11 vs. 7.26 ± 0.07; p < 0.001). Median lactate between the two groups [5.6 (7.5, 3.7) vs. 2.7 (4.5, 2.0)] and base deficit [-10.6 (-13.2, -4.2) vs. -3.7 (-6.3, -2.6)] also differed significantly (p = 0.01). ROC curve area for cord lactate, pH, and base deficit were 0.81, 0.79, and 0.75, respectively. The predictive cutoff values for pH, lactate, and base deficit were 7.20, 3.55 mmol/L, and -5.3 mmol/L, respectively.