Published Paper Details:

Background: Autopsy as a word means self-study of dead body. The importance of lung diseases in Pathology and Clinical Medicine is well known. Aspiration of amniotic fluid with meconium represents one of the cause of perinatal mortality. Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) described as respiratory distress in an infant born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid whose signs cannot be otherwise explained. Aim: To know the prevalence of MAS in the neonates dying within 24 to 48 hours of admission and with unknown cause of death. Materials and Methods: Present was a retrospective, non- interventional and cross section study conducted at Department of Histopathology and Pediatrics at a Tertiary Care Center, from July 2018 to June 2020. Total 42 cases of MAS (Medico-legal) were included. Results: Out of the total 520 autopsy cases, 42 cases (8.08%) showed MAS as the cause of death. 32 neonatal deaths were within 24 hours of birth (76%) and 10 neonatal deaths were within 48 hours of birth (24%). Male to female ratio was found to be 2.5: 1 with male preponderance. Conclusion: The histopathological diagnosis of MAS on neonatal autopsy correlates well with clinical cause of death.