Resuscitation Quality Metrics for the Newly Born

High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is critical to improving survival after cardiorespiratory arrest.[1] Resuscitation quality metrics have been defined in the adult and pediatric populations and provide a method for providers and hospitals to assess their CPR performance.[2] [3] The physiology of cardiorespiratory arrest at birth is unique, arising from failure during the transition to the extrauterine environment. Neonatal resuscitation guidelines account for this distinct physiology, but resuscitation quality metrics for the newly born have not been previously established. The American Heart Association's (AHA's) Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation (GWTG-R) is a multicenter program with a goal to improve the quality of in-hospital CPR. In recognition of the unique resuscitation needs of at the time of birth, the AHA's GWTG-R Pediatric Resuscitation Taskforce recently developed CPR quality metrics specific for the newly born.

The goals of this Commentary are to clarify terminology used by the AHA for babies at birth, to explain why the resuscitation needs of the newly born differ from those of neonates and infants, and to help clinicians and researchers understand and appreciate the AHA's GWTG-R Pediatric Resuscitation Taskforce's metrics for high-quality newly born resuscitation.

• References

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