CONCLUSIONS The majority of early neonatal deaths are related to BA and failure to initiate spontaneous respirations. The 5-minute Apgar score is a poor surrogate of BA. In general, the deaths of premature and LBW newborns do not appear to be related to cardio-respiratory depression but presumably to known complications such as temperature instability. Reducing early neonatal mortality requires a multifaceted approach with attention related to FHR monitoring and obstetric care, basic neonatal resuscitation including BMV, and potential complications of prematurity and LBW.