Abstract
Approximately, 10–20% of newborns require breathing assistance at birth, which remains the cornerstone of neonatal resuscitation. Fortunately, the need for chest compression (CC) or medications in the delivery room (DR) is rare. About 0.1% of term infants and up to 15% of preterm infants receive these interventions, this will result in approximately one million newborn deaths annually worldwide. In addition, CC or medications (epinephrine) are more frequent in the preterm population (~15%) due to birth asphyxia. A recent study reported that only 6 per 10,000 infants received epinephrine in the DR. Further, the study reported that infants receiving epinephrine during resuscitation had a high incidence of mortality (41%) and short-term neurologic morbidity (57% hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and seizures). A recent review of newborns who received prolonged CC and epinephrine but had no signs of life at 10 min following birth noted 83% mortality, with 93% of survivors suffering moderate-to-severe disability. The poor prognosis associated with receiving CC alone or with medications in the DR raises questions as to whether improved cardiopulmonary resuscitation methods specifically tailored to the newborn could improve outcomes.
Introduction
Chest compression (CC) is an infrequent event (0.08%) in newborns delivered at near-term and term gestation, and happens at higher frequency (~10%) in preterm deliveries (–). In addition, outcome studies of deliveries requiring resuscitation or CC have reported high rates of mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment in surviving children (–). The poor prognosis associated with resuscitation requiring CC alone and/or medications in the delivery room (DR) raises questions as to whether improved cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques specifically tailored toward the newborn infant could improve outcomes.
Asphyxia at Birth
Asphyxia, a condition of impaired gas exchange with simultaneous hypoxia and hypercapnia leading to a mixed metabolic and respiratory acidosis, is the most common reason that newborns fail to make successful transition (, ). Asphyxia could result from either failure of placental gas exchange before delivery (e.g., abruption and chorioamnionitis) or deficient pulmonary gas exchange immediately after birth (e.g., apnea, airway obstruction, and respiratory distress syndrome) (, ). Asphyxia depresses myocardial function leading to cardiogenic shock, pulmonary hypertension, mesenteric reperfusion, and acute renal failure. Newborn infants present with serve bradycardic or asystole at birth as a consequence of asphyxia. Current resuscitation guidelines recommend to initiate CC if heart rate remains <60/min despite adequate ventilation with supplementary oxygen for 30 s; CC should be then performed at a rate of 90/min with 30 ventilations 3:1 C:V (Figure 1A) () to achieve adequate oxygen delivery (–).
Figure 1
Rationale for Using 3:1 Compression to Ventilation Ratio
Neonatal bradycardia or cardiac arrest is caused by hypoxia rather than primary cardiac compromise; therefore, providing ventilation is more beneficial (
Animal studies on cardiac arrest induced by asphyxia in newborn piglets demonstrated that combining CC with ventilations improves ROSC and neurological outcome at 24 h compared to ventilations or CC alone (
This is further supported by manikin studies showing higher ventilation rates during simulated CPR using 3:1 C:V compared with higher C:V ratios (
Figure 2

Tidal volume (mL/kg) changes during 3:1 compression:ventilation ratio (3:1 C:V) (A) and continuous chest compressions (CCs) superimposed by sustained inflations (SIs) (CC + SI) (B). Reproduced with permission from Li et al. (
Rational for Using Continuous CCs with SI
Reoxgenation and adequate blood flow are the cornerstones of neonatal CPR. Any effective resuscitative maneuver should increase blood flow and optimize oxygen delivery. In addition to standard CPR, maneuvers that raise intrathoracic pressure can significantly increase carotid blood flow during CPR. Chandra et al. provided ventilation at a high airway pressure while simultaneously performing CC in an animal model and demonstrated increased carotid flow without compromising oxygenation (25). Further, studies in preterm lambs have demonstrated that an SI also increases intrathoracic pressure without impeding blood flow (26). In the resuscitation of asphyxiated newborn piglets, Schmölzer et al. recently reported that passive ventilation during CC, achieved by superimposing CC with an SI (CC + SI) (Figure 1B) (
Rate of CC
A recent mathematical model suggests that CC rates higher than the currently recommended 90 CC/min could optimize systemic perfusion (
Adequate Ventilation during CC
Providing adequate ventilation to achieve reoxgenation is a cornerstone of neonatal CPR. Current best practice is to provide 90 CC and 30 ventilations that are coordinated during a pause (
Quality and Depth of CC and/or the Administration of Epinephrine
Improved left ventricular ejection fraction have been postulated after review of computer tomography images of neonates when CC with a 1/3 anterior–posterior chest diameter was compared with a 1/4 anterior–posterior chest diameter (
Conclusion
Successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest or severe bradycardia requires the delivery of high-quality CC while providing adequate ventilation. However, until now, no study has examined different CC techniques during neonatal resuscitation in asphyxiated newborn infants, and randomized controlled trials are urgently needed.
Statements
Author contributions
Concept, literature search, review of the data, writing of the manuscript, and review of the manuscript: NB, MO, CF, SO, P-YC, and GS.
Funding
GS is a recipient of the Heart and Stroke Foundation/University of Alberta Professorship of Neonatal Resuscitation and Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada and Heart and Stroke Foundation Alberta New Investigator Award. This research has been facilitated by the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute through the generous support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Summary
Keywords
infants, newborn, delivery room, neonatal resuscitation, chest compression
Citation
Baik N, O’Reilly M, Fray C, van Os S, Cheung P-Y and Schmölzer GM (2018) Ventilation Strategies during Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Front. Pediatr. 6:18. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00018
Received
27 January 2017
Accepted
19 January 2018
Published
12 February 2018
Volume
6 - 2018
Edited by
Graeme R. Polglase, Monash University, Australia
Reviewed by
Anup C. Katheria, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, United States; Giovanni Vento, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
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Copyright
© 2018 Baik, O’Reilly, Fray, van Os, Cheung and Schmölzer.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Georg M. Schmölzer, georg.schmoelzer@me.com
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Neonatology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics
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