Intensive care for asphyxia of the newborn(Current Care and Problems in Perinatal Period)

There were 153 inpatients in our NICU from January 1, 1987 to August 31, 1987. Only one of 9 extremely premature infants died, whereas half of the 14 newborns with asphyxia died or had severe sequelae in the central nervous system. The male-to-female ratio of the newborns with asphyxia was 9 to 5. Severe asphyxia represented by an Apgar score of 0-3 was observed in 12, and moderate asphyxia represented by an Apgar score of 4～6, in 2. Most of them were delivered by cesarean section for abruptio placentae and fetal distress. For their care it is important to maintain the body temperature, perform rapid resuscitation, and successively to treat complications of the circulatory and central nervous systems