Neonatology in the United States: Where we are, and where we are Going

Abstract

The United States is the largest country in the ‘industrialized world’, and, as such, has dominated the medical literature reporting practices and outcomes of neonatal intensive care. Perhaps surprisingly, very few things about U.S. Neonatology are unique to the U.S. This chapter will attempt an impossible task - summarizing the practice of neonatology in the entire U.S. I will draw parallels to practices of my colleagues around the globe, and point out American idiosyncracies where they arise. I will end with my sense of the likely (at least in the near-term) future developments for neonatology in the U.S. Keywords: Extreme prematurity, ethics, health care practices, resuscitation, end-of-life decisions