This recommendation summarizes the recent neonatal resuscitation guidelines of the
European Resuscitation Coun-cil (ERC), but it takes into account the guidelines of
the American Heart Association (AHA) and the statements of the International Liaison
Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommen-dations
(CoSTR) for neonatal life support. The goal of the management of the newly born infants
is to support the cardiorespiratory transition. Personnel and equipment should be
prepared for neonatal life support before every de-livery. After birth, the heat loss
of the newborn must be prevented and, if possible, the clamping of the cord should
be delayed. Initially the newborn must be assessed and, if possible, the baby should
be kept with the mother in skin -to-skin contact. The infant must be placed under
radiant warmer and the airways must be opened, if respiratory or circulatory support
is needed. Decisions about the further steps of resuscitation are based on the evaluation
of breath-ing, heart rate and oxygen saturation. If the baby is apnoeic or has a low
heart rate, positive pressure ventilation must be started. The effectiveness of the
ventilation must be checked, and failures are to be corrected if necessary. If the
heart rate is <60/min despite effective ventilation, chest compressions should be
started. Rarely, administration of medications is also necessary. After successful
resuscitation, post-resuscitation care must be started. In the case of unsuccessful
resuscitation, discontinuing management can be considered.
