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Unanticipated Airway Emergencies: Resuscitation in the Delivery Room and Emergency Department

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Disorders of the Neonatal Airway

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Abstract

Delivery room resuscitation is a high-stakes process that needs teamwork, provider skills, and coordination. The most common reason for newborns to have cardiorespiratory or hemodynamic instability in the delivery room is an inadequate airway or absent or inefficient breathing. Although the NRP guidelines are the current “gold standard” for delivery room resuscitation and management of a newborn, the birth of a baby with a difficult airway or critical airway can cause chaos and panic. High-level planning with proper equipment and personnel is critical to a successful outcome. In this chapter we will review the basic airway management in the delivery room based on the latest edition of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and explore the many steps in preparation for the difficult or critical airway at birth.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Floating Hospital for Children, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Saima Aftab M.D.

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Director, Clinical Operations Maine Medical Center, Portland, MA, USA

    Nathan W. Mick M.D., F.A.C.E.P. (Associate Chief)

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Fellowship Director, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Joshua Nagler M.D. M.H.P.Ed.

Authors
  1. Saima Aftab M.D.
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  2. Nathan W. Mick M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
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  3. Joshua Nagler M.D. M.H.P.Ed.
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Saima Aftab M.D. or Saima Aftab M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Attending Neonatologist, Director Neonatal Outreach, Medical Director, Neonatal Airway Program, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Department of Neonatology, The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Janet Lioy

  2. Attending Surgeon, Fellowship Director, Pediatric Otolaryngology, The Center for Pediatric Airway Disorders, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Steven E. Sobol

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Aftab, S., Mick, N.W., Nagler, J. (2015). Unanticipated Airway Emergencies: Resuscitation in the Delivery Room and Emergency Department. In: Lioy, J., Sobol, S. (eds) Disorders of the Neonatal Airway. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1610-8_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1610-8_28

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1609-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1610-8

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