The factor of anesthesia in the pathogenesis of asphyxia neonatorum

Abstract

1.1. The problem of obstetric anesthesia has been approached by a new method, based upon the direct observation of intrauterine respiratory movements in animals.2.2. Most anesthetics of both nonvolatile and volatile type suppress intrauterine respiration long before surgical anesthesia is reached in the mother.3.3. The result with cyclopropane illustrates the attainment of one important objective of obstetric anesthesia, namely, the production of full surgical anesthesia of the mother without interruption of fetal respiration.4.4. Because of the peculiar sensitivity of the fetal respiratory system to depression by anesthetics, the factor of anesthesia must be regarded as an important one in the pathogenesis of respiratory failure at birth.