Cornwall EMS saves newborn after breech birth and resuscitation effort

At the June 16 Cornwall Town Board meeting, town officials recognized nine New Windsor/Cornwall EMS paramedics and EMTs after a breech birth in Cornwall ended with a newborn surviving and later being discharged from the hospital.

Cornwall EMS was dispatched after a 911 call for a woman in active labor with the infant presenting breech, a high-risk delivery in which the baby comes feet first and can require urgent intervention. A Cornwall EMS paramedic reached the scene within two minutes of dispatch, and an off-duty paramedic who lived nearby also arrived to help. The crew determined the baby could not be delivered safely through continued pushing and moved immediately to facilitate the birth.

The newborn was born pulseless, forcing the responders to shift at once from delivery to neonatal resuscitation. They used airway suctioning, stimulation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and endotracheal intubation while coordinating with St. Luke’s Hospital. After about 21 minutes of uninterrupted lifesaving work, the infant regained a pulse and began breathing independently.

New Windsor Volunteer Ambulance is the official ambulance service for the Town of New Windsor, the Town of Cornwall and the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, with six ambulances, four paramedic first-response vehicles, one BLS first-response vehicle and a special operations unit operating from stations in New Windsor and Cornwall. Orange County’s Emergency Medical Services division is the coordinating agency between EMS providers, other emergency services, county agencies and medical facilities.

Rapid assessment, ventilation support, chest compressions when needed and advanced airway management, including intubation, are standard neonatal resuscitation practices. American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance puts breech presentation at about 3% of term fetuses and links it to increased neonatal risk.