For many newborns, the first few seconds after birth, referred to as the ‘golden minute,’ determine whether they will live, suffer lifelong complications, or die.
While most babies take their first breath without assistance, thousands struggle to breathe because of birth asphyxia and other complications that deprive them of oxygen at the most critical moment of life.
Birth asphyxia, also known as perinatal asphyxia, is defined by the World Health Organisation as the failure to establish breathing at birth.
Sunday PUNCH learnt that during those crucial moments, a simple but often overlooked handheld medical device known as the Ambu bag can make the difference between life and death by delivering the oxygen needed to help a newborn breathe.
An Ambu bag, also known as a manual resuscitator or bag-valve mask, is a handheld medical device used to deliver positive-pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing or are breathing inadequately.
This post was originally published on this site.
