The Goldilocks principle. Oxygen in the delivery room: When is it too little, too much, and just right?

Abstract

Oxygen has been used to stabilize newborn infants for more than a century. Over the last two decades, a paradigm shift towards using less oxygen has occurred but without firm evidence of benefit. Using lower levels of oxygen has also added new conundrums to clinical care. Can oxygen delivery to sick newborn babies meet the Goldilocks principle, of being "just right"? This review discusses the history of oxygen use in the delivery room and the impetus to change from the long-established practice of using pure oxygen to using lower oxygen concentrations. The review also highlights knowledge gaps, particularly for oxygen exposure and monitoring, as well as the sequelae of oxygen administration, including short- and long-term outcomes.

Keywords: Newborn infant; Outcomes; Oxygen; Preterm; Resuscitation; Term.