Neonatal arterial blood gases & immediate outcome following perinatal asphyxia.

Background: Perinatal asphyxia (PNA) remains a significant cause of death and disability despite the important advances in perinatal care in the past decades. Early neonatal mortality within the first 24 hours contributes substantially to overall neonatal mortality rates. Estimates of the incidence of perinatal asphyxia vary, in resource-rich countries is about 1/1000 live births and in resource-poor countries is probably much more common, an incidence of 5–10/1000 live births and represents the second most common cause of neonatal death (24%) after preterm birth related complications (35%). About one quarter of all neonatal deaths globally are caused by PNA & an equal number of serious neurological consequences ranging from cerebral palsy & mental retardation to epilepsy