Which scenario indicates bag-mask ventilation for a newborn?

• A. Apneic or inadequate respiratory effort; pulse <100 after airway clearance and stimulation
• B. Normal breathing with stable heart rate
• C. Meconium-stained fluid nonvigorous newborn
• D. Premature birth

Answer: (B)

Bag-mask ventilation is used when a newborn isn’t breathing adequately after you’ve cleared the airway and given stimulation, and the heart rate remains under 100 beats per minute. In this situation, providing positive-pressure breaths helps move air into the lungs and improve oxygen delivery and perfusion. If the infant is breathing normally and has a stable heart rate, there’s no need for bag-mask ventilation because the baby is ventilating adequately on their own. For a baby with meconium-stained fluid who is nonvigorous, you follow suctioning first and then assess whether ventilation is needed if breathing remains poor. In premature infants, you assess breathing and heart rate similarly, starting ventilation if there’s inadequate respiration or bradycardia.