Labor risk assessment in a rural community hospital

Unanticipated perinatal catastrophe in a rural community hospital is responsible for the deaths of many potentially salvageable infants. An intrapartum risk scoring system was designed to help anticipate infants needing skilled resuscitation at the rural community hospital. Thirty-three percent of infants whose mothers scored as high risk (greater than or equal to 10) required resuscitation while only 6% of infants whose mothers scored less than 10 required resuscitation. Sequential Apgar scores of infants in need of resuscitation attended by a skilled resuscitator showed significant improvement compared with Apgar scores of infants not attended by a skilled resuscitator, suggesting at least a short-term benefit for early identification of the infant at risk.