Modern aspects of the management of the newborn undergoing operation.

The principles of neonatal anaesthesia have been described by a number of eminent paediatric anaesthetists (Rees, 1958; Smith, 1959; Wilton and Wilson, 1965; Stead and Nightingale, 1969). Since then important advances have been made in the preparation of the infant for surgery, in the increased use of ventilator therapy, in the better understanding of fluid, electrolyte and metabolic disturbances and in the use of improved equipment and therapeutic agents, all of which have contributed to lowering the mortality and morbidity of neonatal surgery. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of these recent advances and to re-emphasize some of the important aspects of neonatal anaesthesia.