The significant strides made during the past decade in neonatal medicine are based largely upon the provision of intensive perinatal care to the parturient, her fetus, and the newborn. In addition to technologic advances in the bioelec- tronic monitoring of the fetus and newborn, the introduction of noninvasive methods to monitor oxygenation, the pharma- cologic manipulation ofthe ductus arteriosus and pulmonary vasculature, and the use of ultrasonographic diagnosis of congenital heart defects and other lesions, intensive efforts by neonatal specialists throughout the world have also contri-...