INTRACTABLE ASPHYXIA AT BIRTH - ANALYSIS OF THE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS

A review of clinical and pathological data on 10000 consecutive delive ries revealed that the incidence of unexpected and intractable asphyxi a at birth despite adequate resuscitation was 0.24%. Lung hypoplasia a ppeared to be the underlying non-viable condition in 22 out of 24 infa nts. Attention is drawn to congenital neuromuscular disorders which we re found to be the cause of lung hypoplasia in at least 4 out of 22 in fants. Some helpful hints for diagnosis are given which may contribute to the final decision making.