Interest in ‘resurrecting’ the lifeless by supporting breathing has been described since ancient times. For centuries, methods of resuscitating animals, then humans and specifically the ‘lifeless’ neonate were debated and discussed. Over time, with experimentation and worldwide collaboration, endotracheal tubes and laryngoscopes specific to the newborn were created and their use refined. This historical work has meant that today, the neonatal community focuses on refining the science and the art of intubation for the benefit of the newborn; who, where, when and how to intubate, with what devices and medications, bringing about significant change in the area of neonatal intubation.

Recent work has focused on alternatives to neonatal intubation as the risks of endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation have become clearer. Appreciating the history of neonatal intubation and its (somewhat cyclical) changes over time can show us how far we’ve come and how far we can still go in the resuscitation and respiratory support of newborns.

自古以来就有人描述过通过支持呼吸来“复活”死者的兴趣。几个世纪以来，人们一直在争论和讨论动物复苏的方法，然后是人类，特别是“失去生命的”新生儿的复苏方法。随着时间的推移，通过实验和世界范围内的合作，专门针对新生儿的气管插管和喉镜被创造出来，并且其使用也得到了改进。这项历史性工作意味着，今天，新生儿界致力于完善插管科学和艺术，以造福新生儿；谁、在哪里、何时、如何插管，使用什么设备和药物，给新生儿插管领域带来重大变化。

随着气管插管和机械通气的风险变得更加清晰，最近的工作重点是新生儿插管的替代方案。了解新生儿插管的历史及其随时间的（某种程度上周期性）变化可以向我们展示在新生儿复苏和呼吸支持方面我们已经走了多远以及我们还能走多远。