Asphyxia

Abstract

Although China has advanced as a leading economic world power since World War II, its perinatal health outcomes, including neonatal mortality, have lagged behind those of other rapidly developing countries. Some factors behind the relatively high neonatal mortality rate include geographic challenges to providing health care in rural regions and disparities in care across different levels of hospitals. To tackle the problem of neonatal mortality, specifically to reduce birth asphyxia, key stakeholders have worked to implement the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Helping Babies Breathe initiatives across China in the past decade. These efforts have already borne fruit in improving clinical care and are likely to provide further benefit in improving long-term outcomes.

See Also: International Perspectives: Reducing Birth Asphyxia in China by Implementing the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Helping Babies Breathe Initiative

SUFFOCATION

SMOTHERING
Smothering and suffocation are often used interchangeably, but the term “smothering” is best used for that form of asphyxia in which the nose and mouth are obstructed e.g. by a hand, paper, clothes, pillow, plastic bag etc. Gagging people to keep them quiet may lead to smothering. Signs of asphyxia are commonly absent or are only slight, and because marks of injury may be few if any at all homicidal smothering may be difficult to diagnose. Overlaying is the accidental death by smothering of young children by adults sleeping with them. In the U.K. it is a criminal offence...