Newborn care after cesarean section.

To the Editor.— In the QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS section of The Journal (1980;244:2457) the question was asked: "Who Is Responsible for Newborn Care After Cesarean Section?" This issue is of special concern to pediatricians and anesthesiologists and has been addressed in part in a published statement. 1 In essence, each hospital should develop a plan for newborn care responsibility, and the person who resuscitates the newborn should be the one who is best qualified to do so. The Committee on Fetus and Newborn of the American Academy of Pediatrics does not consider that elective repeated cesarean delivery necessarily constitutes a high-risk situation for the infant. However, the duties of the surgical team may preclude their caring for a distressed infant. Therefore, another qualified person should be present in the delivery room to care for the infant.