ABSTRACT
Resuscitation in the newborn period is a relatively frequent occurrence. Saugstad (1998a) suggests that 3-5 per cent (4-7 million) of the 140 million newborn infants born worldwide each year need some kind of resuscitation at birth. Extrapolating this data to the UK population suggests that an average of 30 000 infants will require some intervention at birth. Whilst most of these infants will respond to good airway and ventilatory management, a small proportion will go on to require further interventions of cardiac massage and, in extreme situations, drug therapy.
