Current Controversies in Perinatology, an Issue of Clinics in Perinatology

Book excerpt: Neonatal-perinatal medicine has a strong history of evidence based practice but unfortunately there remain many areas of uncertainty and unproven hypotheses and treatments that may harm our highly vulnerable patients. When new ideas are introduced into the labor and delivery room or the NICU we have to evaluate these procedures and therapies before they become accepted as standards of care. We need to learn from the past lessons of grey baby syndrome and chloramphenicol and of kernicterus and sulfonamide antibiotics where therapeutic good intentions actually did more harm than good and increased the mortality rate of premature babies in the NICU.This proposed edition addresses a broad range of current topics in perinatal neonatal practice. The AAP has just issued new guidelines for the approach to a neonate exposed to maternal genital herpes virus infection. The recommendations were not evidence based and are highly controversial as well as confusing. These topics are addressed in a scholarly and objective manner to both address the controversy and help the practitioner make informed decisions.