Newborn resuscitation revisited

The techniques for assessing and resuscitating newborns at birth have become well established over the last 10 years. Standardization of this procedure lagged far behind the standardization of adult and child resuscitation. In 1987, the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics published the combined recommendations of the Working Group on Pediatric Resuscitation and the National Task Force on Neonatal Resuscitation of the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This article summarizes those recommendations and suggests means for nurse-midwives to become certified in neonatal resuscitation.