There were no significant differences in somatic growth or neurologic handicap at an age of 18 to 24 months in infants resuscitated with either 21% or 100% O2 at birth. Based on these data, resuscitation with ambient air seems to be safe, at least in most cases. More studies are needed to settle this issue.

The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of mouth-to-mask ventilation (MM) in neonatal asphyxia with bag-and-mask ventilation (BM). A new mouth-to-mask infant resuscitation system was constructed. The study was performed in two university clinics with different resources. The KEM Hospital in Bombay was well equipped and neonatologists took part in all resuscitations; Muhimbili Medical Centre in Dar es Salaam was understaffed and had no physicians available at resuscitation. Therefore, different protocols had to be used. In Bombay, the study period was limited to 5 minutes. If needed, mask ventilation was then replaced by intubation. In Dar es Salaam, M M ventilation was continued for up to 10 minutes, the inspiratory pressure was adjusted to 3 0 cmH,O and the ventilation was slow (8-10 breathdmin). In Bombay, 3 0 babies were allocated to the BM and 24 to the M M groups. In Dar es SaIaam 56 were in the BM and 64 in the MM groups.The results for term babies in Bombay and both term and pre-term babies in Dar es Salaam showed no significant differences between the two groups of treatment, as determined by Apgar score 3 4 at 5 and 10 minutes, number of babies with their first gasp, heart rate > 1 3 0 beatdmin or pulse oximeter values above 75%, all at 5 minutes. An Apgar score 3 4 at 5 minutes was achieved in more than 75% of all infants, irrespective of treatment. The rates of early neonatal mortality and neonatal convulsions did not differ between the two methods of resuscitation. associated with a slow increase in heart rate above 130 beats per min. This result indicates that further studies will be needed before such slow respiratory frequencies are used. We conclude that, if adequate training is provided and the respiratory frequency is kept within the normal range, M M ventilation is an alternative to assisted ventilation when no bag and mask is available. However, further studies are necessary, since this method has proved to be tiring and uncomfortable for the resuscitating health personnel.In Dar es Salaam, the low respiratory frequency used in both groups was keywords neonatal resuscitation, mouth-to-mask ventilation, bag-and-mask ventilation, Apgar score, insufflation pressure

. Effect of diazepam administered to mothers during labour on temperature regulation of neonate. Falls in temperature in the first nine hours after delivery were studied in a group of 12 babies whose mothers had received diazepam in labour, and in 13 comparable babies not exposed to diazepam. A significantly lower mean temperature was found in the test group within the first three hours. Cord blood levels of diazepam did not correlate with either maternal levels at delivery, the extent of the temperature drop, or the condition of the baby at birth, though there was an increased incidence of assisted delivery and resuscitation of the infants in the test group.Diazepam is proving to be a useful drug in the management of labour, not least because it has a pethidine-sparing effect (Niswander, 1969). It seems likely that it will be used increasingly and that it may be of considerable value to obstetricians dealing with pre-eclampsia or hypertension, because of its tranquillizing effects (Bepko, Lowe, and Waxman, 1965).It has been shown that diazepam crosses the placenta achieving concentrations in the fetus comparable to, or in excess of, the matemal levels (De Silva, D'Arconte, and Kaplan, 1964;Cavanagh and Condo, 1964). Bepko et al. (1965) and Niswander (1969) were unable to show any depressant effect on the Apgar score of babies which could be definitely attributed to diazepam administered to the mother.The impression was gained at Southmead Hospital that babies born to mothers treated with the drug were liable to sustain a larger temperature drop than babies not so treated, and it was in order to clarify this impression that the following study was undertaken.Material and Methods Twelve babies were studied whose mothers had been treated with diazepam because of a rise in blood pressure before or during labour. 13 similar babies whose mothers had not received diazepam were used as controls. Preterm infants were not accepted for the

No abstract