Interruption of placental blood flow during labor: potential systemic and cerebral organ consequences.

Interruption of placental blood during labor, also termed "asphyxia," affects approximately 3 of every 1000 term infants. The systemic and cerebral consequences of asphyxia are in part related to circulatory adaptive responses, which in turn are modulated by the severity and duration of the insult. Long-term neurological outcome has been well categorized, whereas the systemic consequences remain unclear.