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In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a thought-provoking study from the Archives of Disease in Childhood titled "Chest Compression in Newborn Infants: What Anatomical Structures Are We Compressing?". The hosts explore the anatomical findings suggesting that current neonatal CPR guidelines—recommending compressions over the lower third of the sternum—may actually be targeting the right ventricle and great veins rather than the left ventricle. They discuss the implications for the "cardiac pump" vs. "thoracic pump" theories and what this means for the future of resuscitation guidelines.

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Chest compression in newborn infants: what anatomical structures are we compressing? Chua CT, O'Reilly M, Surak A, Schmölzer GM.Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2026 Jan 16:fetalneonatal-2025-329582. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2025-329582. Online ahead of print.PMID: 41545184

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As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

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