Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse of the Newborn.
Sudden unexpected postnatal collapse is a rare but devastating neonatal event. A well-appearing, full-term newborn with Agpar scores of eight or more suddenly crashes, often with full respiratory and cardiac arrest. Up to half of newborns with sudden unexpected postnatal collapse die, with many survivors suffering serious neurological damage. The first 2 hours of life are the hours of greatest risk, coinciding with the time frame when nurses encourage breastfeeding and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact between women and newborns. Nursing assessments and measures to promote neonates' optimal transition to extrauterine life through skin-to-skin contact and early breastfeeding while decreasing the risk of this catastrophic event are described. Nursing surveillance to promote optimal transition in a safe environment is essential, and birth facilities should allocate staffing resources accordingly.
Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.. Electronic address: Debi.Ferrarello@uphs.upenn.edu.
Debi
D
Ferrarello
Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
Tanya
T
Carmichael
D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D016389:Maternal-Child Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016683:Supine Position
SIDS; apparent life-threatening event; breastfeeding; skin-to-skin; sudden unexpected postnatal collapse