Dr Amjad sheds light on new evidence for post natal care among new born babies

The topic for the CME, Evidence Base for Newborn Resuscitation, was a definite eye opener to many doctors present there.

Dr Amjad Imam, Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatologist at MPH, explained how approximately 10 per cent of newborns usually required some assistance to begin breathing at birth and how about 1% sometimes needed advanced resuscitation to survive.

He felt that the results of resuscitation in newborns were more gratifying and successful than in older children or even adults as there is increased emphasis on ventilation rather on defibrillation. The outcome of thousand of babies, he informed, could be improved by learning the technique of resuscitation.

While the CME threw up several interesting practices and notions, the one most agreed upon was the fact that traditional recommendations for different techniques were based on opinion from experts in the field rather than from random control studies conducted in a hospital. Another interesting debate that generated a lot of heat was the ethical dilemma of 'when not to start resuscitation and when to stop resuscitation.'

Discussing the matter, Dr Amjad stated, "There are no clear guidelines on when to start and when to stop newborn resuscitation. The most frequently asked questions are whether the baby will be damaged if it is resuscitated and survives, and whether it will be a burden for the family and the society. Too often the decision not to start resuscitating and the decision to terminate are left to the person caring for the newborn. Instead of leaving these difficult decisions to individuals, each health care institution needs a clear policy for such cases. The policy can be developed through organised groups of lay, medical and legal personnel."

Gerard Strong, hospital director, MPH, felt that the concept of newborn resuscitation is fairly nascent in Oman and opined that greater awareness is the key to better survival rates among newborns.

He said, "This CME is designed to teach an evidence-based approach to resuscitation of the newborn infant. The causes, prevention and management of mild to severe neonatal asphyxia were carefully explained so that the pediatric health care provider may develop an optimal knowledge and skills base of neonatal resuscitation."

The other topics that were discussed in detail included the use of proper technique of ventilation, followed by recommendation and guidelines based on evidence for use of different medication, use of oxygen, resuscitation of preterm babies and the use of plastic bag for temperature control.

Muscat Private Hospital is Muscat's premier private medical facility. Strategically located in Baushar, the Hospital provides first-class out-patient and in-patient facilities and all the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of an acute care hospital, including CT and MRI.

The CT scan is a 64 slice volume CT which has capability for CT Cardiac Angiography, CT Colonoscopy, Lung Imaging, and Neurological Imaging. Our new range of services includes Women's Health Services, Executive Health Screening, Critical Care Unit and ER, making the hospital a one-stop shop, convenient and accessible to our patients.

The hospital is the first facility in Oman to provide cardiac surgery services. The hospital is managed by UME Group, an international hospital management group with more than 27 years experience in the Middle East and the UK.