Early Therapy with Corticosteroid and Surfactant for Acute Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Infants: Two Case Reports

Rationale: Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (AIPH) in infants is a rare condition, and a clear treatment protocol has not yet been established.

Patient Concerns: We report 2 infant cases of AIPH in a 3-month-old male and a 1-month-old female, who presented at an emergency room with epistaxis and respiratory distress. Both were immediately intubated, which revealed a bloody intratracheal aspirate.

Diagnosis: Pulmonary hemorrhage was confirmed by X-ray and computed tomography imaging in both cases. The extensive evaluation revealed no specific etiology for the acute pulmonary hemorrhage, and AIPH was therefore diagnosed in both cases.

Interventions: Intravenous methylprednisolone resulted in a rapid improvement in oxygenation and a reduction in high airway pressure during mechanical ventilation. Methylprednisolone was subsequently tapered off within 13 and 3 days in cases 1 and 2, respectively. In case 1, intratracheal administration of a surfactant also resulted in an immediate improvement in respiratory condition and the patient was extubated after 2 days; no effect was seen in case 2, and the patient was extubated after 10 days.

Outcome: Both infants recovered well without sequelae or further relapse after 23 and 71 months of follow-up, respectively.

Lessons: Early administration of corticosteroid therapy and intratracheal administration of diluted surfactant should be considered for severe acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants.