The transition from a fluid filled lung to one filled with air in a very short period of time is one of the biggest challenges a newborn faces after birth. Respiratory morbidity as a result of failure to clear fetal lung fluid is not uncommon, and can be particularly problematic in some infants delivered by elective cesarean section (ECS) without being exposed to labor. The increasing rates of cesarean deliveries in the United States and worldwide, have the potential for a significant impact on public health and health care costs due to the morbidity associated with this subgroup. Whereas the occurrence of birth asphyxia, trauma, and meconium aspiration is reduced by elective cesarean delivery, the risk of respiratory distress secondary to transient tachypnea of the newborn, surfactant deficiency, and pulmonary hypertension is increased. It is clear that physiologic events in the last few weeks of pregnancy coupled with the onset of spontaneous labor are accompanied by changes in the hormonal milieu of the fetus and its mother, resulting in preparation of the fetus for neonatal transition. Rapid clearance of fetal lung fluid is a key part of these changes, and is mediated in large part by transepithelial sodium reabsorption through amiloride-sensitive sodium channels in the alveolar epithelial cells, with only a limited contribution from mechanical factors and Starling forces. In this chapter we discuss the respiratory morbidity associated with ECS, the physiologic mechanisms underlying fetal lung fluid absorption and potential strategies for facilitating neonatal transition when infants are delivered by ECS before the onset of spontaneous labor. The changing landscape for human deliveriesCesarean births rose for an tenth straight year in 2006 to a record 31.1% of all deliveries in the United States; this rate is more than 50% higher than in 1996 and is accompanied by a significant drop in the number of women attempting vaginal birth after a previous cesarean delivery (VBAC). 56 ( Fig. 1) Most of the overall increase can be attributed to the increase in the primary cesarean rates, from 14.6% in 1996 to 20.3% in 2005. This rise in the primary cesarean rate coupled with the decrease in the VBAC rate (7.9% in 2005) means that women who have a primary cesarean section have a greater than 90% chance of having a repeat cesarean section, further increasing the overall cesarean rate in the future. 90 Among the many reasons cited for this increase are older women giving birth, multiple gestations from fertility treatments, as well as the concerns of physicians and mothers about the risks of vaginal birth. Cesarean births in low risk or "no risk" mothers where no medical indication can be identified are on the rise and are often referred to as Cesarean Delivery at Maternal Request (CDMR).Address for Correspondence and Reprints: Lucky Jain, MD, MBA, Professor of Pediatrics & Executive Vice Chairman, Emory University School of Medicine, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta GA 30322, ljain@emory.edu, 404-727-1471. Coauthor...

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Objectives-To evaluate morbidity, mortality, and associated risk factors in late preterm term infants (34 0/7-36 6/7 wk) requiring extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Study design-We reviewed a total of 21,218 neonatal ECMO runs in Extracorporeal LifeSupport Organization (ELSO) registry data from 1986 to 2006. Infants were divided into 3 groups: Late Preterm (34 0/7 to 36 6/7), Early Term (37 0/7 to 38 6/7), and Full Term (39 0/7 to 42 6/7).Results-There were 14,528 neonatal ECMO runs which met inclusion criteria. Late preterm infants experienced the highest mortality on ECMO (late preterm 26.2%, early term 18%, full term 11.2%. p<0.001) and had longer ECMO runs; they also had higher rates of serious complications. GA was a highly significant predictor for mortality. Late preterm infants with a primary diagnosis of sepsis and PPHN had 3-fold higher risk of mortality on ECMO than those with meconium aspiration.Conclusion-Late preterm infants treated with ECMO havehigher morbidity and mortality than term infants. This underscores the need for special consideration of this vulnerable population in the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxic respiratory failure. KeywordsLate preterm; near term; early term; preterm birth; late preterm infant; infant mortality; hypoxic respiratory failure; extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) Infants born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation (239 to 259 days gestation) are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality compared with term newborns [1]. These infants, now referred to as late preterm infants, are contributing to increased rates of prematurity [2]. Late preterm births now account for 71.7% of all preterm births and nearly one third of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions in the US [2,3]. This combination of large numbers and greater vulnerability results in a substantially higher etiologic fraction of disease burden and death in the early neonatal period [4,5].© 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.Corresponding author. ljain@emory.edu (Lucky Jain).. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.The authors declare no conflicts of interest. [11][12][13][14][15], and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) [16][17][18]. The clinical picture is further complicated by a higher incidence of co-morbidities such as apnea, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, poor feeding, sepsis/infections and hyperbilirubinemia [11,13,[19][20][21]. In a retrospective study of 228,668 deliveries with 19,334 late preterm births, the incidence of PPHN was 0.38% in late preterm infants compared with 0.08% in term infants and the incidence...

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