Neonatology Timeline
The timeline below lists prominent names, accomplishments, and events in the history of newborn medicine. There is no central organizing principle except for some relationship to the care of fetuses and neonates. Occasionally, events are included from mainstream medicine or science if they have a significant impact on the work of caregivers for infants.
Many thanks to Dr. Tonse N. K. Raju, Dr. Jeff Reese, and Drs. Thijs Gras, who reviewed the timeline for accuracy and contributed many valuable additions to the timeline. Contributions by Tomasz Sioda are also appreciated. You may also be interested in the detailed Synchronoptic Timetable published in Obladen’s “Oxford Textbook of the Newborn.”
Note: The dates on the timeline have been gleaned from a variety of sources and are correct to the best of our knowledge, but you should always refer to primary sources for academic purposes. Corrections and suggestions are always welcome. Please send email about this timeline to webmaster@neonatology.net.
| Year | Person | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 715-673 BC | Oldest reference to Caesarean section (Roman Law of Numa Pompilius) | |
| ~500 BC | Hippocratic Corpus | The 8 month's infant, calculation of gestational age, fetal somersault |
| 450 BC | Roman Law of Twelve Tables ordered killing of malformed infants | |
| 98-138 AD | Soranus of Ephesus | Greek physician, practiced in Rome, wrote on midwifery and newborn care, influential into the 15th century |
| 500's | Marble cradle for foundlings at Trèves | |
| 1200's | Hospital for foundlings, Pope Innocent III (Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia, ruota degli esposti) | |
| 1445 | Florence foundling hospital (Ospedale degli Innocenti) | |
| 1500's | Handbooks for midwives, based on translations of Soranus | |
| 1536 | Paris Hospice de Enfants-Dieu, for orphans and foundlings) | |
| 1538 | Henry VIII | Establishment of Bills of Mortality |
| 1544 | Thomas Phaire | "The boke of children" |
| 1554 | Amatus Lusitanus | First account of wet nurse infected with syphilis by a breast-feeding infant |
| 1564 | Cesare Anzanio | First description of ductus venosus and arteriosus |
| 1577 | Liceti * | Incubator for his prematurely born son, who survived and became a renowned scientist (Rapallo, Italy) |
| 1640 | St. Vincent de Paul and Mme. Legras | Foundling Hospital of Paris opened |
| 1650 | Chamberlen | Invention of obstetric forceps, they were kept within the family as a trade secret for 150 years. |
| 1662 | John Graunt | Analysis and publication of Bills of Mortality |
| 1670 | Louis XIII | Royal edict creates l'Hôpital des Enfants-Trouvés |
| 1672 | Isbrand Diemerbroeck | First correct description of placental circulation |
| 1673 | Steno (Nils Stensen) | First anatomic description of Tetralogy of Fallot, Denmark |
| 1691 | Ruysch | First report of clinical entity now known as Hirschsprung's Disease |
| 1733 | Calder | First case report of duodenal atresia |
| 1741 | Coram | Opening of the Foundling Hospital, London |
| 1752 | Queen Charlotte's Hospital, world's first maternity hospital, founded in London | |
| 1753 | Roederer | First publication of correct average birthweight and length |
| 1764 | Nils Rosen von Rosenstein | Treatise on children's diseases |
| 1769 | Opening of the Dispensary for the Infant Poor, London | |
| 1770 | St. Petersburg Foundling Hospital | |
| 1780 | Francois Chaussier | First use of oxygen (O2) in newborns |
| 1784 | Michael Underwood | "Treatise on the diseases of children" |
| 1785 | Jean Baptiste Thimotee Baumes | "Treatise on Neonatal Jaundice" at the University of Paris, won prize, subsequently published (1788) and widely read |
| 1788 | Hezekiah Beardsley | First description of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis of infancy |
| 1792 | Brand (Leiden) | Caesarian delivery, mother and child survived |
| 1795 | Opening of the l'Hospice des Enfants-Trouvés at the Maternité, Paris (later known as l'Hospice des Enfants-Assistés) | |
| 1797 | First description of Transposition of the Great Vessels | |
| 1798 | Paul Scheel | Elastic endotracheal tube for neonates (Copenhagen) |
| 1802 | Opening of the Hôpital des Enfants-Malades in Paris, first children's hospital | |
| 1802 | Heberden | Published description of hydrocephalus in infants |
| 1803 | Hey | First successful surgical closure of omphalocele |
| 1810 | Use of "le Tour d'abandon" (tower of desertion) in France. | |
| 1814 | Founding of Paris Maternité | |
| 1819 | Elias v Siebold | Preterm delivery in obstructed pelvis |
| 1819 | René TH Laënnec | Introduction of the stethoscope |
| 1821 | MJ La Jumeau de Kergaradec | First public demonstration of fetal heart rate auscultation (Paris) |
| 1822 | François Baron | Neonatal stethoscope |
| 1834 | Blundell | First description of endotracheal intubation for newborn resuscitation |
| 1835 | von Rühl | First known use of "warming tub" (Wärmewanne) St Petersburg |
| 1836 | Birth registration mandatory in England | |
| 1839 | Frolich | First description of prune-belly syndrome |
| 1847 | Ignaz Semmelweis | Asepsis in the delivery room (Budapest) |
| 1847 | First use of ether anesthesia in obstetrics | |
| 1847 | Jacques Francois Edouard Hervieux | Thesis on neonatal jaundice based on 45 cases including 44 autopsies,described staining of the brain in 31 cases. |
| 1850 | Von Ruhl | 50 "warming tubs" are installed in the Moscow Foundling Hospital |
| 1851 | Marchant | First report of gavage feedings for infants |
| 1852 | West | Founding of Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, the first children's hospital in English-speaking countries |
| 1854 | Founding of first American children's hospitals: New York Nursing and Child Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | |
| 1857 | Denucé | First published description of incubator in western literature |
| 1861 | Little | Cerebral palsy (CP) described and linked to birth trauma and asphyxia |
| 1870 | Beginning of the Infant Welfare Movement | |
| 1874 (?) | G. Eustache, C. Hearson & Co. | Hearson's Thermostatic Nurse (automatic temperature regulation) |
| 1875 | Johannes Orth | First pathoanatomic description of kernicterus. Mentioned staining of basal ganglia. |
| 1878 | Tarnier | Adaptation of poultry incubator to create the Tarnier-Martin Couveuse (incubator) |
| 1879 | Credé | AgNO3 for ophthalmia neonatorum |
| 1880 | Tarnier | Introduction of "couveuse" (Tarnier-Martin closed incubator, thermisphon) at Paris Maternité |
| 1880 | Winckel | Trials of the "permanent water bath" for prematures, Dresden |
| 1882 | Biedert | Heat treatment of milk for 2 hrs at 100 degrees C. for artificial feeding |
| 1883 | Auvard | Introduction of Tarnier-Auvard single-infant incubator (warm water in stoneware containers), Paris Maternité |
| 1884 | Credé | Reports the results of 647 infants treated over 20 years using an incubator similar to that of Denucé |
| 1884 | Stephane Tarnier | Gavage feedings |
| 1888 | Hirschsprung | First description of pyloric stenosis |
| 1888 | Fallot | First description of association of ventribular septal defect, right ventricular infundibular stenosis, aortic valve overriding the right ventricle, and right ventricular hypertrophy (now known as Tetralogy of Fallot, or TOF) |
| 1890 | Alexandre Lion | Thermoregulated infant incubator based on an egg incubator, made of wood. |
| 1890 | Alexandre Lion | First display to a paying public of.a living premature baby in an infant incubator, Marsille. |
| 1891 | Bonnaire | First description in literature of oxygen (O2) for premature or cyanotic infants (used by Tarnier in 1889) |
| 1891 | Alexandre Lion | Establishment of the "Infant Incubator Charity" (Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d'Entants) in Nice (later in Paris and other European cities). |
| 1891 | E. Bonnaire | First documented use of oxygen for premature or cyanotic infants |
| 1891 | Rotch | Rotch portable incubator, Boston |
| 1892 | Alexandre Lion | Thermoregulated infant incubator made of metal. |
| 1892 | Pierre Budin | Establishment of the "Consultations de Nourrissons" |
| 1893 | Rotch | First American incubator with built-in scale, wheels, and fresh-air delivery system |
| 1893 | Mme. Henry, Pierre Budin | Found "Pavilion of Weaklings" at the Paris Maternité (first specialized neonatal intensive care unit) |
| 1894 | C. W. Townsend | Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn |
| 1894 | Alexandre Lion | Alexandre Lion opens his first permanent storefront for Maternité Lion in Nice, France. |
| 1894 | Alexandre Lion | Incubator pavilion with living babies during the International Exhibition, Lyon (first incubator pavilion at an international/world exhibition). |
| 1894 | First "milk depots" | |
| 1895 | Alexandre Lion | Incubator pavilion with living babies during the World Exhibition in Amsterdam. |
| 1896 | Alexandre Lion | Opening of the Oeuvre Maternelle de Couveuses d'Enfants, Paris |
| 1896 | Alexandre Lion | Incubator baby exhibit at the Berliner Gewerbe-Ausstellung. Used Lion incubators manufactured under license by Paul Altmann, Berlin. |
| 1897 | Alexandre Lion | Display of an infant incubator during the Tennessee Centential and International Exhibition in Nashville. |
| 1897 | Alexandre Lion | Establishment of an Incubator Institute in New York. |
| 1897 | L. Emmet Holt | A simplified version of the Rotch incubator is developed. A double-walled wooden box, warm water circulates between the walls. |
| 1897 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at Victorian Era Exhibition at Earl's Court, London |
| 1897 | Eisenmenger | Described congenital heart disease association of ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary hypertension, left to right shunt, and overriding aortic valve, this became known as Eisenmenger's Complex |
| 1898 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at Trans-Mississippi Exposition, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 1898 | Arthur Schlossman | Dresden hospital for sick infants |
| 1898 | L. Emmet Holt | "Diseases of Infancy and childhood" |
| 1898 | Joseph B. DeLee | First incubator station in the United States at Chicago Lying-In Hospital, used Lion incubators |
| 1899 | Joseph B. DeLee | Chicago Tribune describes the first transport incubator for infants ("hand ambulance") at the Chicago Lying-In Hospital |
| 1899 | Ahlfeld | First successful treatment of omphalocele by painting sac with alcohol |
| 1900 | Pierre Budin | Publication of "Le Nourrisson" [The Nursling] in France |
| 1900 | DeLee | Opening of the incubator station at the Chicago Lying-In Hospital |
| 1900 | Alexandre Lion | Incubator baby sideshow at the World Exhibition, Paris |
| 1900 | Karl Landsteiner | ABO Blood Groups (Nobel Prize 1930) |
| 1900 | Infant mortality rates: Finland 153, France 160, Germany 229, Italy 174, Netherlands 155, Russia 253, Sweden 99, Switzerland 150, UK 141, USA 140 | |
| 1901 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York |
| 1902 | Heidenhain or Aue | First successful repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia |
| 1903-1943 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at Coney Island |
| 1904 | Christian Georg Schmorl | Landmark paper based on 280 autopsies of neonates, including 120 with jaundice. Coined the term "kernicterus." |
| 1904 | Zahorsky | Incubator baby sideshow at Louisiana Purchase Exposition and World's Fair, St. Louis |
| 1905 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at Lewis and Clark Exhibition, Portland, Oregon |
| 1906 | First recording of fetal heart ECG | |
| 1906 | August Paul von Wassermann | Wasserman Reaction becomes available, used for detection of syphilis in infants and wet nurses |
| 1907 | Jacob Bernheim | Infant Hospital Rosenberg (Zurich) |
| 1907 | Pierre Budin | Publication of "The Nursling" [Le Nourrisson] in England, translation by Maloney |
| 1908 | Term "fetal distress" is introduced | |
| 1908 | Carrel | First transfusion for hemorrhagic disease of the newborn |
| 1908 | Chicago Board of Health | Chicago mandates pasteurization of milk, other cities in the U.S. followed. |
| 1908 | Garrod | Description of "inborn errors of metabolism" and their inheritance according to Mendel's Laws |
| 1909 | Leo Langstein | Founding of the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Haus, Berlin, center for teaching and research in the prevention of newborn mortality |
| 1911 | Julius Hess | Electrically heated, water-jacketed open infant bed |
| 1911 | "Baby Tents of Chicago" | |
| 1912 | Blackfan | Device for collection of blood in newborns |
| 1912 | Ramstedt | First successful treatment of pyloric stenosis with pyloromyotomy |
| 1913 | Richter | Transthoracic ligation of tracheoesophageal fistula |
| 1914 | Julius Hess | Hess introduces his incubator with an electrical heating system |
| 1914 | Julius Hess | First unit specifically for premature infants at Sarah Morris Hospital, Chicago |
| 1915 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco |
| 1915 | First US birth registry | |
| 1915 | Helmholtz | Intravenous infusions and blood collection from the longitudinal sinus |
| 1916 | Ernst | First successful surgical repair of congenital duodenal atresia |
| 1919 | Sidbury | Transfusion through the umbilical vein for hemorrhagic disease of the newborn |
| 1919 | Arvo Ylppö | Himself a premature infant at birth, defined preterm as those with a birthweight of less than 2500 grams. "Three treastises on preterm infants." |
| 1919 | J. P. Crozier | Published the Disease of Infants and Children which became Griffith and Mitchell's Pediatrics, then Mitchell and Nelson's Pediatrics, then in 1954 became Waldo E. Nelson's Pediatrics. |
| 1920's | Births in hospitals increase from 5% to 60% in large US cities | |
| 1921 | Oxygen administration became standard for treatment of preterm infants with apnea | |
| 1922 | Julius Hess and Evelyn C. Lundeen | Premature Infant Station opened at Sarah Morris Hospital, Chicago, first dedicated facility for care of prematures in the US |
| 1922 | Julius Hess | Publication of "Premature and Congenitally Diseased Infants," first American textbook on prematurity |
| 1922 | Julius Hess | First transport incubator for newborns, can be plugged into the cigarette lighter of a taxicab for power |
| 1925 | Alfred Hart | First exchange transfusion for erythroblastosis fetalis (Toronto) |
| 1927 | Philip Drinker | Iron Lung (Boston) |
| 1928 | Alexander Fleming | Discovery of Penicillin (Nobel Prize 1945) |
| 1929 | Kurt v. Neergard | Surface tension of lung alveoli (Basel) |
| 1930 | U. S. National Vital Statistics System | Gestational age was included in the U. S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth. |
| 1930 | Founding of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | |
| 1932 | Louis K. Diamond, Kenneth Blackfan, James M. Batty | Hydrops fetalis, icterus gravis, and anemia of the newborn unified as "erythroblastosis fetalis" |
| 1933 | Founding of the American Board of Pediatrics for specialty certification | |
| 1933 | Louis W. Sauer | First use of pertussis vaccine in the United States |
| 1934 | Couney | Martin Couney donates ambulance used solely for neonatal transport to the Chicago Department of Health |
| 1934 | Julius Hess | First use of "Hess Oxygen Box" |
| 1933-1934 | Incubator baby sideshow at Century of Progress International Exhibition, Chicago | |
| 1934 | Julius Hess | Modified electrically heated incubator for O2 administration |
| 1934 | Dionne Quintuplets | |
| 1934 | Følling | Discovery of phenylketonuria (PKU) |
| 1934 | First dedicated transport vehicle for newborns, Chicago | |
| 1935 | American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adopts Arvo Yllpö's definition of prematurity as BW < 2500 gm. | |
| 1935 | Clinical use of sulfa drugs | |
| 1936 | Maud Abbott | Publication of "Atlas of Congenital Heart Disease" |
| 1936 | Henrik Dam, Edward A. Doisy | Discovery of "Koagulations Vitamin" (Vitamin K) |
| 1937 | W. W. Waddell | Vitamin K treatment of coagulation abnormalities of the newborn |
| 1938 | Charles Chapple | Design of modern infant incubator (prototype of Isolette) in Philadelphia |
| 1938 | Andersen | Meconium ileus linked to cystic fibrosis |
| 1938 | Gross and Hubbard | Successful ligation of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), Boston |
| 1939 | Runge | Clinical description of "dysmaturity" related to placental dysfunction |
| 1939 | Philip Levine, Rufus E. Stetson | Described the clinical importance of the Rh blood group system |
| 1939-1940 | Couney | Incubator baby sideshow at New York World's Fair |
| 1940 | A. Cournand and D. Richard | Cardiac catheterization for diagnosis of congenital heart disease |
| 1941 | Karl Landsteiner and Philip Levine | Performed animal studies with antibodies to Rhesus monkey blood and named the Rh blood group |
| 1941 | N. McAllisterGregg | Infant cataracts during the rubella epidemic, established linkage between maternal rubella infections and congenital rubella syndrome |
| 1941 | Clifford | First clinical recognition of retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) (later renamed Retinopathy of Prematurity, or ROP) |
| 1941 | Haight | First successful primary anastomosis of tracheoesophageal fistula |
| 1942 | Florey and Chain | First clinical use of Penicillin. |
| 1942 | Theodore Terry | First published description of Retrolental Fibroplasia (RLF) in preterm infants |
| 1942 | Louis K. Diamond | Link established between Rh isoimmunization and erythroblastosis fetalis |
| 1943 | Alfred Blalock & Helen Taussig | First "blue baby" operation for Tetralogy of Fallot (Blalock-Taussig or BT shunt) |
| 1943 | Ethel Dunham | "Standards and recommendations for the hospital care of newborn infants," Washington Children's Bureau |
| 1944 | Miller and Olney | Angiocardiography for infants with congenital heart disease |
| 1944 | Haight & Towsley | Successful repair of esophageal atresia |
| 1944 | Heinrich Willi | Description of "malignant enteritis of the first three months of life," now known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) |
| 1944 | Alfred E. Barclay, Kenneth J. Franklin | Description of the fetal circulation |
| 1945 | Craaford and Nylin | Successful surgical repair of Coarctation of the Aorta described |
| 1946 | Sir Joseph Barcroft | Publishes "Researches on Pre-Natal Life." The first book on fetal-maternal and neonatal physiology. |
| 1946 | Louis K. Diamond | Exchange transfusion via umbilical vein as treatment for erythroblastosis fetalis |
| 1946 | Clement A. Smith | Publication of "The Physiology of the Newborn Infant," first American textbook of neonatology |
| 1946 | Ehrenpreis | First diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease in neonates |
| 1947 | Taussig | Publication of "Congenital Malformations of the Heart" |
| 1946 | Hill-Burton Act, federal aid for construction of hospital facilities | |
| 1946 | First randomized controlled trial in humans (efficacy of streptomycin for tuberculosis, England). | |
| 1947 | Caldeyro-Barcia and H. Alvarez | The first recording of intrauterine pressure in a woman on June 10th, 1947 in Montevideo, Uruguay. |
| 1947 | First report of polyethylene catheters used for exchange transfusion through the umbilical vein | |
| 1947 | Modern Isolette (based on Chapple Incubator) first shown publicly | |
| 1948 | Hanlon and Blalock | Atrial septectomy for Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) - first palliative operation |
| 1948 | World Health Organization | WHO defines prematurity as BW < 2500 gm |
| 1948 | Committee on Fetus and Newborn, AAP | First edition of "Standards and Recommendations for Hospital Care of Newborns" published. |
| 1948 | Peller | First use of the term "perinatal" |
| 1948 | New York Department of Health | Establishment of the New York Premature Infant Transport Service |
| 1949 | Use of DES to prevent miscarriage | |
| 1949 | W. L. Bradford, Elizabeth Day, F. C. Morton | Triple vaccine for Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DPT vaccine) |
| 1949 | Birthweight and GA added to Standard Certificate of Live Birth in USA | |
| 1949 | Cornell offers Institutes on Premature Infant Care for physicians and nurses | |
| 1949 | Smith | Thirsting and starving of premature infants |
| 1950 | World Health Organization | WHO reaffirms prematurity as BW < 2500 gm but adds that GA < 37 weeks can be used if birthweight is unavailable. |
| 1950 | Bloxsom | Bloxsom Air Lock ventilator for respiratory support is introduced. |
| 1950 | Widdowson | Publishes the landmark paper on the chemical composition of newly born mammals, followed by series of studies on fetal and neonatal metabolism. |
| 1951 | Kate Campbell (Melbourne), VIctoria M. Crosse (Birmingham) | Retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) aka ROP is linked to oxygen use |
| 1952 | Virginia Apgar | Describes a scoring system for assessment of infants at birth, now known as the Apgar Score. |
| 1952 | Schmid & Quaiser | First clear description in the English literature of necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) as distinct clinical entity |
| 1952 | Patz | Initial trial, with some procedural defects, that linked excessive O2 to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). |
| 1953 | The modern vacuum extractor is introduced | |
| 1953 | James Watson & Francis Crick | Correct double-helical structure of DNA is described in the journal Nature, Novel Prize 1962 (with Maurice Wilkins) |
| 1953 | Ian Donald, R. E. Steiner | Description of the natural history of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and correlation with X-rays |
| 1953 | Detergent mist (Alevaire) for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) | |
| 1953 | Love & Tillery | Sternal traction for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1953 | Rickham | First neonatal surgical unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool |
| 1953 | Emerson | Invention of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) |
| 1953 | Invention of AMBU Bag | |
| 1953-1954 | Kinsey, Silverman, and others | Controlled trial: excessive O2 leads to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Cooperative trial published by Kinsey in 1955. First randomized controlled trial in newborns. |
| 1954 | Dionne quintuplets are a national sensation. | |
| 1954 | Pick | Clinical linkage between small term infant and placental insufficiency |
| 1954 | Clifford | Clinical description of "postmature" infant |
| 1954 | Jonas Salk | National randomized trial of inactivated polio vaccine |
| 1954-1956 | Increase in kernicterus due to use of prophylactic sulfa drugs | |
| 1955 | Gleiss | Controlled trial: withholding fluid in immediate postnatal period not beneficial |
| 1955 | Controlled trial: detergent mist not beneficial | |
| 1956 | William Silverman | Controlled trial: sulfa drugs increase risk of kernicterus |
| 1956 | John Clements | Surfactant function and action |
| 1956 | Dobbs, Cremer, Ward | Serendipitous observation of effect of sunlight on indirect bilirubin level |
| 1956 | Controlled trial: Bloxsom air lock is ineffective | |
| 1956 | Tjio and Albert Levan | First publication of correct number of human chromosomes (46) |
| 1957-1959 | Hodgman | Gray-Baby Syndrome due to use of prophylactic chloramphenicol |
| 1957 | Albert Sabin | Development of attenuated virus polio vaccine (approved for general use in 1963) |
| 1957 | Commercial production of winged "scalp vein" needles for neonates | |
| 1957 | William A. SIlverman and W. A. Blanc | Maintaining relative humidity at 80-90% for first 5 days improves survival. Further experiments determined that this reduced heat loss for the baby, and maintenance of thermal neutrality improved survival. |
| 1957 | Introduction of Thalidomide in Europe | |
| 1957-1962 | Thalidomide catastrophe, around 10,000 infants born with malformed limbs | |
| 1958 | William Silverman | Controlled trial: hypothermia leads to decreased survival |
| 1958 | Availability of modern intracatheter in several sizes | |
| 1958 | First air transport of newborn, Denver, Colorado (DC-3) | |
| 1958 | RIchard J. Cremer | First description of light effect on bilirubin levels, Lancet |
| 1958 | Ian Donald | Publishes a paper using "pulsed ultrasound" in 200 patients with "abdominal masses" many of whom had gynecological conditions and some were pregnant. This is considered the birth of B-mode fetal ultrasound testing. |
| 1959 | Mary Ellen Avery and Jere Mead | Surfactant deficiency identified as the cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1959 | Jerome Lejeune | Trisomy 21 identified in Down's Syndrome |
| 1959 | Intravenous (IV) fluids for infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) | |
| 1959 | Multiple authors | First report of umbilical artery catheterization for blood gas sampling |
| 1959 | Usher | Glucose and bicarbonate drip for infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), later known as the Usher Regimen |
| 1960 | Rubeola vaccine | |
| 1960 | Mildred Stahlman et al | NICU care as we know it begins at Vanderbilt with continuous EKG monitoring, mechanical ventilation, umbilical lines, and on-site measurement of blood gases. |
| 1960 | Louis Gluck | Takes over an existing premature baby unit to develop a neonatal ICU at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut. Mechanical ventilation was not used until later. |
| 1960 | Alexander Schaffer | First use of terms "neonatologist" and "neonatology" in textbook (Diseases of the Newborn, Saunders, 1960) |
| 1960-1961 | Multiple authors | Birth defects linked to Thalidomide |
| 1961 | Mildred Stahlman | First successful ventilation of a premature infant with RDS in North America (Reported in the Transactions of the SPR, Annual Meeting, May 8-10, 1962). According to an article by Dr. Stahlman in 1980, there may have been earlier survivors in the UK, Sweden, or South Africa. |
| 1961 | World Health Organization | WHO distinguishes low-birth-weight from prematurity |
| 1962 | Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos and Paul Swyer | Early successful ventilation of a premature infant with RDS. This has sometimes been referred to as the first success in North America, but it was preceded by Dr. Stahlman in October 1961. |
| 1962 | Koop | First neonatal surgical intensive care unit in the USA at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia |
| 1962 | Saling | Fetal scalp blood sampling for pH |
| 1962 | Weller and Neva; Parkman, Buescher, and Artenstein | Isolation of the Rubella virus |
| 1963 | Introduction of Rhogam | |
| 1963 | Liley | First report of intrauterine fetal transfusion |
| 1963 | Robert Guthrie | Newborn screening test for phenylketonuria (PKU) |
| 1963 | Widely reported news item | Patrick Bouvier Kennedy dies of respiratory distress syndrome, GA 34 weeks, BW 2100 grams. This led to increased public awareness of prematurity and its consequences, with increased funding for research for pediatric disorders. |
| 1963 | Lula O. Lubchenco | Standard tables of weights, lengths, and head circumferences by gestational age based on Denver data. Introduction of concepts of appropriate, large, and small for gestational age, now considered to be fundamental diagnostic and prognostic categories (AGA, LGA and SGA). |
| 1963 | William Mustard | Physiologic baffle repair for Transposition of the Great Vessels (Mustard Procedure). Atrial switch using pericardium. |
| 1963 | Liley | First published description of intrauterine transfusion of the fetus for hemolytic disease |
| 1963-1964 | Rubella epidemic in USA | |
| 1963 | Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos | Report of successful ventilation of a preterm infant with hyaline membrane disease (Assisted ventilation in terminal hyaline membrane disease. Arch. Dis. Child., 39:481-484, 1964) |
| 1963 | Frederic J. Agate and William A. SIlverman | Closed-loop control of body temperature of a small newborn using infrared radiation (foreshadowing of today's radiant warmers with skin probes and servocontrol) |
| 1964 | Daily, Meyer (Stanford) | Developed the first infant apnea monitor |
| 1964 | Stowe | Epsom salt enemas used as therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1964 | Eickhoff | First report of Group B streptococcus in neonatal sepsis |
| 1964 | Du and Oliver | First description of use of a radiant warmer in the delivery room |
| 1964 | First commercial pediatric ventilator, Bourns LS-104. This was a piston-driven volume ventilator and subsequently replaced by pressure-limited ventilators such as the Baby Bird and the Bourns BP-200. | |
| 1965 | Silverman | Importance of environmental temperature and thermal neutrality for survival |
| 1965 | University of Colorado | First pediatric nurse practioner (PNP) training program. |
| 1966 | Osmund Reynolds | Neonatal intensive care unit at University College Hospital, London |
| 1966 | Usher et al | Physical characteristics for assessment of gestational age |
| 1966 | Rashkind and Miller | Technique of atrial septostomy developed (became rescue therapy for newborns with Transposition of the Great Vessels) |
| 1966 | Harry M. Meyer, Paul D. Parkman, Theodore C. Panos | Live attenuated rubella vaccine |
| 1966 | Victor Freda | Prevention of maternal Rh sensitization (and erythroblastosis fetalis) by anti-Rh antibody (RhoGam) |
| 1967 | Northway, Rosan & Porter | Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP) described |
| 1967 | AirShields | First commercially available apnea monitor |
| 1967 | First helicopter transport of newborn, from Zion, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois (~200 miles) | |
| 1967 | Guthkelch | Treatment of hydrocephalus with Holter Valve |
| 1967 | Hon and Quillen | Description of three types of fetal heart rate decelerations |
| 1967 | Kantrowitz | First heart transplant in newborn, Brooklyn, New York |
| 1967 or 1968 | Sierracin/Cavitron | Sierracin Infant Cradle Warmer, first commercial of an infant radiant warmer, spinoff of technology used in heated faceplates for pilot pressure suits |
| 1968 | Fontan | Fontan procedure for surgical palliation of functional single ventricle |
| 1968 | Corometrics Co. | Commercial availability of fetal heart rate monitors |
| 1968 | Claudine Amiel-Tison | Neurological assessment of gestational age |
| 1968 | Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare | Published guidelines for the transportation of a newborn or mother to tertiary hospitals |
| 1968 | Wilmore & Dudtrick | First published report of total intravenous nutrition of newborn (TPN) |
| 1969 | Du and Oliver | First description of use of an open radiant warmer for newborns. |
| 1969 | Early regionalization, first transport of a pregnant woman in preterm labor from one city to another | |
| 1969 | Rubella vaccine released (live attenuated virus ) | |
| 1969 | Lucey | Controlled trial: phototherapy treatment of hyperbilirubinemia |
| 1969 | Forrest Bird | Baby Bird, first time-cycled pressure-limited ventilator for infants |
| 1970 | Stern, Outerbridge, Shepard, and Stahlman | Introduce continuous negative pressure ventilator; several clinical trials were conducted. |
| 1970 | Publication of standardized techniques for umbilical artery catheterization | |
| 1970 | Dubowitz | Gestational age scoring method based on combined physical and neurological characteristics |
| 1970 | First report of xenon arc photocoagulation for ROP | |
| 1971 | George Gregory | Use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1971 | Louis Gluck et al | Assessment of "pulmonary maturity" by amniocentesis to measure lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio (L/S ratio) |
| 1971 | American Medical Association | Policy statement on regionalization of perinatal care, later endorsed by the AAP. |
| 1971 | Johns Hopkins - Baby Doe case | |
| 1972 | Shannon et al | Description of hyperoxia test for cyanotic congenital heart disease |
| 1972 | Kirby | Intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) - Baby Bird ventilator |
| 1972 | Liggins | Controlled trial: antenatal glucocorticoids for prevention of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1972 | Umbilical arterial lines enter routine use | |
| 1972 (?) | Bourns BP-200 pressure-limited time-cycled infant ventilator | |
| 1973 | Jones, Smith, & Ulleland | Clinical description of the fetal alcohol syndrome |
| 1973 | Multiple authors | Transcutaneous PO2 monitoring in newborns |
| 1973 | Klauss & Fanaroff | Publication of "Care of the High-Risk Neonate," 1st Edition |
| 1974 | Sharpe | Published observation that Indomethacin produces intense and persistent contraction of ductus arteriosus in vivo. |
| 1974 | American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology | Perinatology subspecialty certification begins (obstetrics) |
| 1975 | Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for infants becomes routine | |
| 1974 | George Gregory et al | Report that intubation and suctioning below the vocal cords of infants stained with meconium reduces symptoms of respiratory failure due to meconium aspiration syndrome. |
| 1975 | American Board of Pediatrics | Neonatology subspecialty certification begins (pediatrics), first 355 neonatologists are board-certified. |
| 1975 | Olley and Coceani | Prostaglandin E can maintain patency of ductus arteriosus |
| 1975 | Bartlett | First use of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in infants |
| 1976 | Anderson, Nicholson, & Heird | Controlled trial: total parenteral nutrition in prematures |
| 1976 | Adib Jatene | First successful arterial switch operation for Transposition of the Great Vessels (TGV) |
| 1978 | Papile et al | Reports the origin and evolution of intracranial hemorrhage in 46 consecutively studied infants < 1500 g, and proposes a classification scheme. |
| 1978 | Introduction of the Sechrist IV-100B infant ventilator, had a microprocessor to simplify use by eliminating manual calculations and support a digital display | |
| 1979 | Multiple authors | Transcutaneous PCO2 monitoring in newborns |
| 1979 | Multiple authors | Controlled trial: indomethacin treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants |
| 1979 | Gerald B. Merenstein, Dennis F. Koziol, et al | Use of radiant warmers does not increase risk of infection |
| 1979 | Ballard | Simplified gestational age scoring system (modified Dubowitz) |
| 1979 | FDA approval of ritodrine hydrochloride for treatment of premature labor. | |
| 1980 | Introduction of the Bourns BP-200 infant ventilator | |
| 1980 | Fetal Doppler studies begin | |
| 1980 | Tetsuro Fujiwara et al | First report of intratracheal administration of bovine surfactant in 10 preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome that showed dramatic improvement. |
| 1980 | Description of high frequency ventilation | |
| 1980-85 | Multiple authors | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in NICU graduates due to transfusions |
| 1981-1989 | Multiple authors | Randomized clinical trials in infants with respiratory distress syndrome using synthetic and animal-derived surfactant preparations were launched, eventually demonstrating the superiority of the latter. |
| 1981 | Greenberg | Endotracheal administration of epinephrine for resuscitation |
| 1981 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful fetal surgery for obstructive uropathy. Placement of a fetal urinary catheter (vesicoamniotic shunt) for posterior urethral valves. |
| 1982 | "Baby Doe" case, Trisomy 21 with esophageal atresia | |
| 1982 | Gershanik | Adverse effects of benzyl alcohol |
| 1983 | Certification for neonatal nurse practitioners begins | |
| 1983 | American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology | AAP and ACOG publish "Guidelines in Perinatal Care" |
| 1983 | Benirshke, Naeye, Boyer, Gotoff | Protocols for treating Group B sepsis |
| 1983-1984 | Multiple Authors | Intravenous vitamin E (E-Ferol) causes ascites, liver and renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and death in low birth weight infants |
| 1983-1985 | Multiple authors | Cranial ultrasound of newborn enters routine clinical practice. |
| 1984 | International Committee for ROP Classification | Eleven scientists from 23 countries developed a milestone document on the classification of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), simultaneously published around the world in nearly a dozen journals. |
| 1984 | Jet ventilators appear | |
| 1984 | Castaneda and colleagues | Neonatal arterial switch for Transposition of the Great Vessels (TGB) |
| 1984 | Edward M. Connor | Maternal-infant transmission of HIV reduced by zidovudine |
| 1984 | Bailey | "Baby Fae," first cross-species heart transplant in newborn at Loma Linda University Medical Center |
| 1985 | Controlled trial: Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in infants with respiratory failure | |
| 1985 | Use of prophylactic penicillin reduces mortality of infants with sickle cell anemia, provides rationale for neonatal screening for hemoglobinopathies | |
| 1985 | Controlled trial: cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) | |
| 1985 | David Smith and Porter Anderson | Polysaccharide vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type B (HiB vaccine) |
| 1985 | "Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act" | |
| 1986 | American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP Publishes "Guidelines for Air and Ground Transport of Pediatric Patients" |
| 1987 | Pulse oximetry in newborns | |
| 1987 | American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association | Neonatal resuscitation training program launched by AAP and AHA |
| 1988 | Cryotherapy for ROP Cooperative Group and the National Eye Institute | First report of successful treatment of advanced stages of ROP using cryotherapy |
| 1989 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful open fetal surgery for congenital diaphragmatic hernia. |
| 1990 | Thomas Shaffer | First report of partial liquid ventilation in prematures |
| 1990 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful fetal resection of congenital cystic adenomatous malformation of the lung (CCAM). |
| 1990 | High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) appears in commercial products | |
| 1990 | U. S. Food and Drug Administration | FDA approval of surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) |
| 1991 | Ballard | New Ballard Score (NBS) for gestational age, extended for extremely premature infants <26 weeks gestation |
| 1991 | McNamara | Controlled trial: laser vs. cryotherapy for retinopahy of prematurity (ROP) |
| 1992 | American Academy of Pediatrics | "Back to Sleep" campaign begins, reduces incidence of SIDS by 2/3rds by 1997. |
| 1992 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful open fetal surgery for resection of sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT). |
| 1992 | American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP guidelines for chemoprophylaxis of Group B Streptococcus |
| 1992 | American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP recommends supine sleeping position for infants, followed by 30-40% reduction in incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) |
| 1992 | John P. Kinsella et al | Inhaled NO for persistent pulmonary hypertension |
| 1993 | American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP Publishes "Guidelines for Air and Ground Transport of Neonatal and Pediatric Patients" |
| 1994 | National Institutes of Health-Funded Studies | Perinatal AIDS Clincial Trials Group Protocol 076 published, treatment of mothers with zidovudine reduces perinatal transmission of HIV to infants. |
| 1994 | Harrison, UCSF | NIH-sponsored clinical trial at UCSF for open repair of fetus with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. |
| 1996 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics | Recommendations for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) screening and chemoprophylaxis |
| 1996 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful fetoscopic temporary tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). |
| 1997 | Multiple authors | Controlled trial: inhaled nitric oxide for pulmonary hypertension in the newborn |
| 1997 | Lo | Free fetal DNA demonstrated in maternal blood, basis for new methods of non-invasive screening for fetal genetic defects |
| 1998 | Wiswell | Demonstrated the intubation of meconium stained infants was not beneficial |
| 1999 | U. S. Food and Drug Administration | FDA approval of inhaled nitric oxide for term and near-term (>34 weeks gestation) neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension |
| 1999 | Harrison, UCSF | Successful fetoscopic laser treatment of a single A-V communication in twin-twin transfusion syndrome. |
| 2000 | Infant mortality rates: Finland 3.8, France 4.5, Germany 4.4, Italy 4.5, Netherlands 5.1, Russia 20.5, Sweden 3.4, Switzerland 5.3, UK 5.6, USA 6.9 | |
| 2000 | American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP Statement on Use of Inhaled Nitric Oxide |
| 2000 | Francis S. Collins and J. Craig Venter | Initial mapping of human genome complete |
| 2001 | Harrison, UCSF | NIH-sponsored clinical trial for temporary tracheal occusion of fetuses with severe left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). |
| 2004 | AAP | AAP defines levels of neonatal care (I-III), Level IV is recognized by the AAP as IIIC |
| 2006 | National Institute of Child Health and Human Development | The phrase "late preterm" enters medical lexicon, replacing the unprecise "near-term." |
| 2009 | Multiple authors | Mild therapeutic hypothermia for perinatal asphyxia is recommended as the standard of care |
| 2010 | Nelson | Reports fetal exposure to MgSO4 reduces cerebral palsy rates. Later, an NIH-sponsored controlled trial confirms the findings. |
| 2011 | National Institutes of Health | An NIH-funded study shows fetal repair of myelo-meningocele defect improves neurologic outcomes. |
| 2011 | Sequenom and Illumina companies | Cell-free fetal DNA testing on maternal blood available as an alternative to amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. |
| 2011-2017 | Multiple authors | Longitudinal cohort studies report adult outcomes of those born preterm. |
| 2017 | American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology | Recommends the use of antenatal steroid in women with threatened late preterm birth. |
| 2021 | Roberta Pineda, Kati Knudsen, Courtney C. Breault, et al | Census of NICUs in the US: 1,424 NICUs, 35,601 beds (5,592 level II, 20,631 level III, 9,378 level IV). |
| 2021 | FDA | Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines approved for adults |
| 2022 | FDA | COVID-19 vaccines approved for children 6 mos-5 yrs of age |
| 2023 | FDA | FDA approves RSV vaccine for neonates and infants |
- Giuseppe Liceti, a surgeon working in Rapallo (near Genoa); his son was born on the 3rd of October 1577 and named ‘Fortunio.’
Last Updated on 11/30/24