The history of neonatology in Korea

Neonatology in pediatrics became a part of medical school curricula in Korea in 1954-1959. Specific treatments and procedures in the neonatal field were adopted around this period, for example, antibiotics, oxygen therapy, and the exchange transfusion procedure were established in 1950-1960. Usage of an infant incubator was implemented along with the establishment in 1960. The trend of separation between a premature infant care unit and newborn nursery room enabled the specialized treatment of high-risk infants in the 1970s. Assisted ventilation with continuous positive airway pressure and phototherapy was initiated in 1978. The recent concept of a neonatal intensive care unit was established in 1980, and it made so-called neonatal intensive care such as mechanical ventilation and intensive monitoring available. The Korean Society of Neonatology was founded in 1993. The usage of pulmonary surfactant in the 1990s, accelerated the improvement of respiratory distress syndrome survival, and it resulted in the nationwide opening of neonatal intensive care unit in hospitals. The high frequency ventilator and inhaled nitric oxide were introduced in the 2000s. The Korean Neonatal Network was commenced as a nationwide systemic database for very low birth weight infant registry in 2010. Accordingly, the history of Korean neonatology can be summarized as 50 years in total, and 35 years in a narrow sense. During this era, neonatal care in Korea has improved remarkably and has achieved a great survival rate for high-risk neonates, preterm infants, and micro-premies. In this review, we intend to provide an overview of the history, efforts, and outcomes of Korean neonatology activity that have led to these achievements.