[Continuous transcutaneous pO2-criterion of newborn condition, depending on obstetric circumstances (author's...

Arterial pO2 was transcutaneously recorded under standardized conditions from 55 newborns, right after birth. Two values, pO2 with air breathing 30 minutes after birth and the pO2 peak following oxygen breathing, were compared, with reference being made to their dependence on obstetric conditions. Significant deterioration of oxygen supply, as compared to a control group, was recordable from high-risk births, infants delivered from breech presentation by the vaginal route, and from newborns with neonatal acidosis. Oxygen supply to surgically delivered high-risk infants came very close to that recorded from normally born children, while that established from infants born by caesarean section was in agreement with values of hyperoxia. High-continuity measurement of pO2, immediately after childbirth, can be used as a criterion by which to assess obstetric performance. It can be also an objective parameter for an assessment of postpartum adaptation, and a tool by which to figure out endangered newborns.