EMERGENCIES ENCOUNTERED IN THE NEONATAL PERIOD

Emergencies encounteredduring the newborn period are many and varied. An attempt to discuss in detail all of the hazardous situations met during this critical period would require far more space and time than are allotted to this brief paper. Table 1 is an attempt to classify these conditions on an etiologic basis. A glance at this formidable list emphasizes the fact that one must choose those conditions which promise most profitable discussion. It seems logical, then, to devote the major portion of this paper to a few of the most commonly seen pathologic pathologic conditions. A review of neonatal mortality studies published recently indicates that relatively few diseases account for most of the deaths during this period.

Table 2 is a composite study of such reports.¹ It emphasizes the fact that the four chief causes of death are: (1) prematurity, (2) anoxia, including the various diagnoses (atelectasis, asphyxia and