Care of the Newborn

The resuscitation of a distressed newborn is a specialty in itself, and most emergency physicians have limited experience in this field. This chapter reviews the critical points in the resuscitation of both term and preterm infants and provides a readily accessible guide to enable the emergency physician to provide delivery room and neonatal intensive care unit levels of care in the emergency department. We review the basic physiology of neonatal circulation as it transitions during birth and the complications that can occur with that process. We provide an extensive review of the neonatal resuscitation algorithm, and a guide for post-resuscitative care and definitive treatment. Additionally, there is a comprehensive description of the various procedures required during neonatal resuscitation from chest compressions to umbilical line placement.