Iatrogenic damage in the neonatal period

Abstract

Iatrogenic damage from a therapeutic procedure in the neonatal period can have serious consequences. Although most side effects are minor, some may result in a major handicap or death of the infant. The development of new therapeutic strategies may result in not previously observed combinations of pathology. This review focuses on iatrogenic damage occurring in several organs and after several different therapeutic interventions. Special attention is given to pulmonary and gastrointestinal damage and iatrogenic damage as a result of systemic treatments. Valuable information and early detection of serious side effects is only possible when the pathologist is very well informed about the therapeutic interventions used, all medical devices are left in situ and a thorough autopsy is performed as completely as is permitted. However, the decline in autopsy rates could make it more difficult to determine the incidence of iatrogenic lesions.