Resuscitation of the newborn.

Despite even the most diligent care and moni- toring, problems sometimes arise during labour that cause fetal asphyxia and lead either to death or to brain damage.As paediatricians, however, we cannot accept circumstances in which asphy- xial damage occurs after delivery as a result of inadequate facilities, staffing levels, or training.Since intubation and positive pressure venti- lation were first recommended by Flagg in North America in 1928,' and by Blaikley and Gibberd at Guy's Hospital in 1935,2 a pattern of resuscitation had evolved based on extrapolation and assumption rather than on clinical mea- surement.There can be few areas of medicine in which the potential benefit is so great but which have been subjected to so little evaluation.