In a tertiary maternity hospital, when should a paediatrician be present in the delivery room?

Objective: 10% of newborns require positive pressure ventilation (PPV) at birth. There are few data on prenatal or early postnatal factors that are predictive of the need for a paediatrician in the delivery room. The study analysed prenatal obstetric and early postnatal factors associated with the requirement for paediatrician assistance in this setting.

Methods: Over a three-month period, all consecutive births in a tertiary hospital's maternity unit were prospectively evaluated with regard to the need for paediatrician assistance (requested either before or after the delivery), the requirement for resuscitation, and transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Results: For a total of 584 consecutive births, paediatrician assistance was requested before delivery in 170 cases (30.5%) and after in 78 cases (13.3%). 78% of the newborns requiring PPV, 95.8% of those requiring endotracheal intubation and 86.3% of those requiring transfer to the NICU matched recently published prenatal criteria for paediatrician assistance. Along with a low Apgar score and a cord blood pH <7.20, these criteria covered 95% of the prenatal and early postnatal requests for paediatrician assistance.

Conclusions: These criteria for neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room would enable medical staff to anticipate the need for paediatrician assistance.