Cardiovascular response to birth asphyxia

Birth asphyxia is a leading cause of neonatal mortality. Asphyxiated newborns often struggle to make the transition from fetal to neonatal life and often require resuscitative intervention at birth to help them successfully achieve pulmonary gas exchange and transition the circulation from the fetal to newborn phenotype. The timing and type of resuscitation provided to asphyxiated newborns, as outlined in current resuscitation guidelines, heavily rely on our understanding of the cardiorespiratory response that occurs during birth asphyxia. The studies contained in this thesis improve our understanding of the cardiovascular response to birth asphyxia in the ex-utero environment, in a model appropriate for the post-natal newborn.