The prognostic value of measuring umbilical cord blood pH at birth is examined in a recent meta-analysis study. Cord blood acidosis (usually defined as cord blood pH <7.0) is considered evidence that the newborn baby was deprived of oxygen during labor, and in some maternity units cord blood pH is used in the...

Neonatal jaundice is the subject of two recent studies and an accompanying editorial, all published in the October issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood (Neonatal Edition). The aim of the first study was to determine if visual assessment of jaundice on day 2-3 of life is accurate in estimating serum bilirubin and...

Premature neonates frequently have inadequate respiratory function and require oxygen therapy during the weeks after birth. Since they are also exquisitely vulnerable to oxygen toxicity, careful monitoring of oxygen status is an essential component of neonatal intensive care.  Measuring % oxygen saturation by pulse...

All newborn babies have, by comparison with adults, a raised serum concentration of unconjugated (and therefore total) bilirubin, due principally to the transient increase in red cell destruction associated with the move from intrauterine support to physiological independence.  In close to half of all newborns the...

Metabolic acidosis is the most common disturbance of acid-base balance among the critically ill of all ages, usually due to increased lactate production consequent on inadequate tissue perfusion and/or hypoxemia. The condition is characterized by primary reduction in bicarbonate and pH revealed during arterial blood...

Premature, very-low-birth-weight babies have immature lungs and frequently require mechanical ventilation to ensure the gas (O₂, CO₂) exchange necessary for survival. Ventilation sufficiently aggressive to maintain partial pressure of carbon dioxide in blood (pCO₂) within normal limits can cause mechanical damage to...

Despite significant developments in neonatal medicine over the past decade or two there has been no overall reduction in the number of neonatal deaths according to the results of a recently published US study.  Researchers at the University of Colorado in Denver performed a retrospective study of all 779,385 live...

Umbilical cord blood gas analysis provides objective evidence of neonatal condition at birth; a particular utility of the test is to identify those babies who have suffered significant oxygen deficit prior to delivery. Traditional obstetric practice is to clamp the umbilical cord within seconds of delivery but some...

Transient increase in serum bilirubin concentration is a normal physiological feature of the neonatal period and this rise is sufficient to cause visible jaundice in around 60 % of newborns. For most the condition is harmless and resolves spontaneously with no long-term effects. However for those neonates with...

Umbilical cord blood gas analysis has for many years been recommended for assessment of newborn babies after high-risk delivery associated with possible hypoxic stress and consequent risk of permanent brain damage. More recently there has been an increasing trend towards its routine use after all deliveries.  With...