What physiological change is primarily triggered by the immediate first breath of a newborn?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance
When the newborn takes the first breath, lung aeration causes pulmonary vessels to dilate and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) falls markedly.
Practice all 25 Neonatal Transition and Newborn Care questions
Keep practicing
More Neonatal Transition and Newborn Care questions
- Which structure normally begins to close as left atrial pressure exceeds right atrial pressure after birth?
- What is the significance of a heart rate of 90 beats/min in a term newborn at 1 minute of life?
- What metabolic change occurs in a newborn immediately after birth?
- How does skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth primarily benefit a newborn?
- What mechanism leads to the functional closure of the ductus arteriosus in a healthy term neonate?
- What is the most accurate initial nursing intervention for a newborn with a temperature of 35.5°C in the delivery room?