Current obstetrics: what neonatologists need to know.
The changes in obstetrics have led to the collection of much more physiologic data about the fetus during development. These advances are not only important to obstetricians but also to neonatologists. Unfortunately, the organizational structure of medicine has made it difficult to develop effective perinatal medical services, where both a full complement of obstetrical resources and a full complement of neonatal services are available within the same hospital service. The reasons for this are discussed. Neonatologists should use the current fetal physiologic data which are collected to develop both short and long term follow up studies in order to relate specific obstetrical findings to neonatal outcome. The advances in obstetrics have had a particular impact upon the problem of intrauterine growth retardation. This has meant that neonatologists must deal with infants born very premature who are also intrauterine growth retarded. These babies may have obstetrical data defining fetal circulatory failure and/or placental failure. It is in this arena where a knowledge of how to interpret the physiologic data collected by obstetricians about the fetus is particularly useful to neonatologists.
Battaglia
F C
FC
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, USA. Fred.Battaglia@UCHSC.edu
D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D007558:Italy; D009359:Neonatology / Q000379:methods*; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000379:methods*