Babies born with congenital pulmonary airway malformation are at high risk for complications during and after delivery. Managing these problems is the first and most important step in caring for babies with CPAM after birth. Lesions should be removed surgically since they can become infected or, in rare cases, become cancerous. The timing of surgery depends on the baby's symptoms after birth. In some cases, the lesions are very large and interfere with normal breathing, so surgery must take place immediately after birth. If the baby has no breathing problems, they may be discharged home and scheduled for surgery sometime within the first year of life.
Even if immediate surgery is not necessary, some babies with CPAM will experience breathing problems at birth. They may need to be placed on a ventilator or have extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a type of heart-lung bypass machine.
What are the outcomes of treatment for CPAM?
Most babies with CPAM do well after the lesion is removed. In rare situations, patients who had large lesions may have small lungs and subsequent chronic lung disease.
