[The dyspnea syndrome of the newborn in Switzerland. Results of a cooperative study within the framework of the Swiss Neonatology Group].

The Swiss Neonatology Group was founded in 1972 to strengthen cooperation between obstetricians and pediatricians in this country. To this end a collaborative study was made of the incidence of respiratory distress syndrom in Switzerland during 1974. Almost every neonatal unit of the country participated, and the study thus covered the problem cases taken from approximately 90% of all Swiss newborns. 30% of the newborns hospitalized in neonatal units (or 2% of all Swiss newborns) developed a respiratory distress syndrome. 16% of these died. One third of all the cases of respiratory distress and two thirds of the deaths were due to hyaline membrane disease, which mainly occurred in prematures. The other cases of respiratory distress were divided between aspiration, transient respiratory distress and other pulmonary disorders. 31% of the newborns with respiratory distress syndrome underwent mechanical ventilation, more than half of these having hyaline membrane disease. The success already achieved by modern perinatology looks hopeful for the future.