| Abstract: | Effective pulmonary capillary blood flow was measured on the first day of life in twenty term infants with birth asphyxia and twenty-five normal term infants. The infants studied showed no clinical or laboratory evidence of respiratory distress. The mean effective pulmonary capillary blood flow of 121 ml/kg/min in the birth asphyxia group was significantly lower than the mean of 162 ml/kg/min in the normal group. The possible relationship of birth asphyxia and pulmonary hypoperfusion in the aetiology of the idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome is discussed. |
