Updates for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Resuscitation Guidelines

Abstract

Although most newborns require no assistance to successfully transition to extrauterine life, the large number of births each year and limited ability to predict which newborns will need assistance means that skilled clinicians must be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently for every birth. A successful outcome is dependent on a rapid response from skilled staff who have mastered the cognitive, technical, and behavioral skills of neonatal resuscitation. Since its release in 1987, over 4.5 million clinicians have been trained by the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program®. The guidelines used to develop this program were updated in 2020 and the Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation, 8th edition, was released in June 2021. The updated guidelines have not changed the basic approach to neonatal resuscitation, which emphasizes the importance of anticipation, preparation, teamwork, and effective ventilation. Several practices have changed, including the prebirth questions, initial steps, use of electronic cardiac monitors, the initial dose of epinephrine, the flush volume after intravascular epinephrine, and the duration of resuscitation with an absent heart rate. In addition, the program has enhanced components of the textbook to improve learning, added new course delivery options, and offers 2 course levels to allow learners to study the material that is most relevant to their role during neonatal resuscitation. This review summarizes the recent changes to the resuscitation guidelines, the textbook, and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program course.