ABSTRACT
The upper airways, especially the larynx, exert an important influence on
breathing from the fetal period onward. In addition to participating in fetal lung
growth, in the successful transition toward air breathing at birth and in the
maintenance of optimal lung ventilation thereafter, the larynx of the newborn is
also involved in reflexes such as nutritive and nonnutritive swallowing (NNS) and
protection of the lower airways. Furthermore, neural immaturity in the newborn is
often responsible for reflexes originating from the laryngeal region, the laryngeal
chemoreflexes (LCR), which are inhibitory to cardiorespiratory function.
