Final answer:
A newborn must receive adequate respiration and oxygenation before cardiac compression or medication can be initiated. The Apgar score helps determine the need for immediate medical attention.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before proceeding to cardiac compression or medication, a newborn must receive adequate respiration and oxygenation. This is critical to ensure the baby's lungs are properly inflated, which facilitates the necessary changes in the circulatory system after birth. The administration of CPR should also consider the newborn's Apgar score, which assesses the baby's heart rate, respiration, and other vital signs to determine the immediate medical need. Ensuring that the newborn has taken its first breath is essential before initiating any further medical interventions such as cardiac compressions or medications. If the Apgar score indicates distress, medical professionals may need to provide immediate attention to resuscitate or stabilize the newborn.
Before proceeding to cardiac compression or medication, it is important for the newborn to receive its first breath. The first breath a newborn takes at birth inflates the lungs and dramatically alters the circulatory system by closing the three shunts that directed oxygenated blood away from the lungs and liver during fetal life. This allows for proper oxygenation of the blood and establishes the newborn's normal circulatory pattern.