Search

WHO has estimated that as many as 10% of all newborn infants need some intervention at birth and approximately 1% more extensive intervention. If this is correct, up to 13-14 million of the world's annual newborn infants need intervention and of these approximately 1.5 million will need intensive therapy. Each year at least 1.16 million newborn babies die in sub-Saharan Africa. This region has the highest risk of newborn deaths and the slowest progress in reducing mortality. The transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life is extremely hazardous, with probably more radical physiologic adjustments required during and immediately following the birth process than at any other point in a human lifetime. Although certain episodes of fetal asphyxia cannot be prevented a prompt and skilled resuscitation may prevent lifelong adverse sequelae. Optimal resuscitation procedures should therefore become high priority. The ILCOR, the AHA and the AAP have established their new guidelines for newborn resuscitation on review of the evidence for each step. There still are a number of unanswered questions regarding newborn resuscitation (the ideal ratio of chest compressions to ventilation, the benefits and risks of supplementary oxygen, the indications for volume therapy, the optimal glucose level in infants that required resuscitation, the better ventilation in a newborn at birth.

Tuberculosis of bone and joint is becoming uncommon in childhood, overall in absence of clinical and radiologic pulmonary findings. The Authors describe two cases: the first one had typical radiologic picture of the hand localization; the second one had tibial localization. Both the children had none clinical and radiographic findings of pulmonary tuberculosis. Chemiotherapical treatment and bed rest led to complete recovery, without anatomic and functional sequelae.