The Newborn: physiological characteristics
The blood contains a relatively high number of red blood cells and a high haemoglobin level at birth (elevated haematocrit). These characteristics are essential to provide adequate oxygenation in utero and during the first few postnatal days before the lungs expand fully. Oxygenation improves during the first two weeks of life to the extent that a high red cell count and haemoglobin are no longer necessary, and haemolysis occurs. The blood pressure is characteristically low. It is difficult to determine accurately and may vary with the size of the cuff of the sphygmomanometer used.
Check next week's article for the second part of this article.
The copyright of the article The Newborn: physiological characteristics in Medical Student Resources is owned by Yasser Anathallee. Permission to republish The Newborn: physiological characteristics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Go To Page: 1 2
Articles in this Topic Discussions in this Topic
Latest Articles