Perinatal cardiac arrest: Quality of the survivors

Abstract

Twenty-two consecutive survivors of perinatal cardiac arrest have been followed to a mean age of 4 1/4 years, using methods of neurological and developmental assessment appropriate to their ages. 4 showed evidence of gross, diffuse brain-damage (2 of these died before the age of 3 years). These were the only 4 survivors of the first month of life who took more than 30 minutes to establish regular, active respiration after their heartbeat had been restored. The arrest in these cases had occurred during or within 15 minutes of delivery, and followed antepartum haemorrhage, breech delivery, or prolapsed cord. The remaining 18 were free of any evidence of brain damage. In the majority of these the arrest had occurred during shoulder dystocia or exchange transfusion, or was unexplained; the heartbeat had been restored within 5 minutes in most cases, and regular, active respiration had been established within 30 minutes thereafter in all cases.