Assignment Problem: You are dispatched to a 28-year-old female who, assisted by her husband, has just delivered a 30-week-gestation boy. The infant is flaccid with no spontaneous movement. He has no apparent respiratory effort. The pulse, felt at the base of the umbilical cord, is 44 beats/minute and weak. Central cyanosis is present. You estimate the infant's weight at 1 kg. There are no obvious congenital abnormalities.
1. What is this newborn's status and the most likely cause of this situation?
2. Plot a treatment plan while on scene, and indicate when you will transport and to where.
3. Explain the physiological purpose of evaluating APGAR twice on infants, and explain what each part of the test means in terms of the infant's health.
4. When might a paramedic perform CPR at a 3:1 ratio on a neonatal patient, and when might a 15:2 ratio be preferable?