Everyone who cares for newborn infants must be skillful in a method of resuscitation. Effective techniques, however, are not so sophisticated that only specially prepared staff in special care units can carry them out. Physicians and nurses in every delivery unit should be prepared to act whenever needed. Infants subjected to severe intrauterine asphyxia with its resultant acidosis require resuscitation at birth. The cause of the asphyxia is frequently unknown, and the poor condition of the infant is often un-