Neonatal resuscitation.

All emergency departments should be adequately equipped and well prepared to handle a newborn delivery and resuscitation. It is important to remember that most neonates will respond to drying, warming, positioning, suctioning, and tactile stimulation and that overzealous and invasive resuscitation is not only unwarranted in most cases, but substantially increases the risk of iatrogenic complications. After the initial management, further therapy is based on assessment of respirations, heart rate, and skin and mucous membrane color. An algorithm outlining neonatal resuscitation is presented in Figure 6.