Impaired Newborns

Abstract

“Let’s begin morning rounds. Baby H was born at a gestational age of 26 weeks and weighed 590 grams. His eyelids were partially fused and at 1 minute the Apgar score was 1 with no spontaneous respirations, but a slow heartbeat was detected. The baby was resuscitated and put on a respirator. After 24 hours he had severe respiratory distress syndrome and ultrasound revealed a grade IV intraventricular hemorrhage. Aggressive respiratory support now will somewhat increase the baby’s chances of survival, but even if he does survive, he will likely have significant brain damage and pulmonary dependency. Any questions?”