Evaluation and management of the cyanotic neonate.
The infant presenting to the emergency department with cyanosis requires rapid assessment, diagnosis, and initiation of therapy. In this article, the potential challenges in recognizing cyanosis are discussed, including the presence of higher concentrations of fetal hemoglobin, and its oxygen binding characteristics. A systematic approach to the diagnosis of cyanosis is presented, based on an understanding of the normal transitional physiology, and how diseases of the airway, lung, and circulatory system may disrupt these processes. Strategies for initial emergency department management of lung and cardiac disease are presented.
Steinhorn
Robin H
RH
Raymond and Hazel Speck Berry Professor of Pediatrics Head, Division of Neonatology, Associate Chair of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University, 2300 Children's Plaza #45, Chicago, IL 60614, , , E-mail: r-steinhorn@northwestern.edu.