The first reports of the successful use of mechanical ventilation to treat respiratory disorders in the neonate were published in the 1960s. Subsequent decades have seen the widespread use of ventilation technology, the development of high-frequency ventilation and extracorporeal support, and, most recently, the use of surfactant replacement therapy and synchronized ventilation. Neonatal and pulmonary clinicians now have a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic tools from which to select a customized management strategy. As a result, the modern neonatal intensive care unit has become a technological wonder, and an occasional source of confusion.Divided into twenty main sections, this book offers a wealth of information to those providing intensive respiratory care to the newborn. Eighty-three separate chapters, written by leaders in their respective fields, cover a comprehensive range of material, including lung development and function, the principles of mechanical ventilation, available diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, strategies for treating various respiratory disorders, alternative treatments, outcomes, and ethical considerations pertaining to the care of newborns. The outline-style presentation is clinically focused, ensuring that all subjects are described in a manner that is easily understood and easily applied to bedside treatment.This manual will be of immense value to all those who come in contact with a neonatal intensive care unit, including pediatricians, neonatologists, pulmonary specialists, respiratory therapists, neonatal nurses and nurse practitioners, fellows, residents, interns, and medical students.

Sunil Sinha is Professor of Paediatrics, University of Durham, Consultant Neonatologist, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.