Asphyxiated neonates: prognosis and outcome.

The prognosis of perinatal asphyxia depends on the severity and duration of the insult, the gestational age and weight of the affected infant, and the association with other serious medical conditions. The mortality is high in the newborn period. Survivors may escape unscathed or face long-term handicaps including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and epilepsy. It is often difficult in the nursery to make predictions about later quality of life for an individual infant. Counseling the family can be especially difficult. By looking at data from longitudinal studies linking newborn findings with later outcome, some patterns emerge that may make prognostication more accurate.