§ 139.23. Delivery suite services.
(a) Delivery suite facilities shall include a neonatal recovery area specifically equipped for evaluation and treatment of the infant immediately after birth. An area of the delivery room set aside for infant care is acceptable.
(b) The director of obstetrics and the director of neonatal services shall formulate policies and procedures for delivery room care of infants. These policies and procedures shall be written and shall include provisions for:
(1) Notification of the physician in charge of the infant and the nurse responsible for the provision of nursing services in the neonatal care unit when the delivery of a potentially high-risk infant is expected.
(2) Continuity of care for all infants and especially for high-risk infants to be initiated in the delivery area, with constant observation of neonates for distress.
(3) The umbilical cord to be clamped or tied in accordance with standard medical practice.
(4) The collection of sample of cord blood and performance of laboratory studies for blood type, Rh and Coombs Test on every infant born to an Rh negative mother or having a family history of blood incompatibility.
(5) Infant identification, by an accepted duplicate system, for both mother and infant to be carried out in the delivery room and checked by the nurse or physician and, if possible, by the mother.
(6) Prophylaxis with medication under § 27.98 (relating to prophylactic treatment of neonates), to be carried out as soon as the condition of the infant permits.
(7) Every neonate to be examined at the time of delivery and the following noted on his medical record:
(i) Condition at birth including Apgar score or its equivalent.
(ii) Time of sustained respirations.
(iii) Physical abnormalities or pathological states.
(iv) Evidence of distress.
(8) A carefully planned procedure to be instituted for the transportation of infants to the neonatal care unit from the delivery room to insure maximum protection of the infant. Transfer of distressed infants to the unit shall be done in a manner that minimizes heat loss and to insure adequate oxygenation.
(9) The record of the infant to accompany the infant from the place of delivery to the neonatal care unit and be immediately available to unit personnel. This record shall include information concerning prenatal history, course of labor, delivery, drug administration to mother and infant, Apgar score, relevant conditions of the mother, procedures performed on the infant in the delivery room, complications of any type, and other facts and observations.
Authority The provisions of this § 139.23 issued under section 2102(g) of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 532(g)); section 16 of the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 (35 P. S. § 521.16); and section 803 of the Health Care Facilities Act (35 P. S. § 448.803).
Source The provisions of this § 139.23 amended May 4, 1984, effective May 5, 1984, 14 Pa.B. 1553. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (37907) to (37909).
Cross References This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 139.21 (relating to policies and procedures).
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