Oronasopharyngeal suction at birth: effects on arterial oxygen saturation.

The effect of oronasopharyngeal suction (ONPS) on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) is described in a controlled study of 30 normal term newborn infants. In 15 of them, ONPS was performed immediately after birth. The SaO2 value was recorded through a pulse oximeter. The ONPS group had a significantly lower SaO2 between the first and the sixth minutes of life and took longer to reach 86% and 92% saturation. According to this study, ONPS should not be performed as a routine procedure in normal, term, vaginally born infants.