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Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Children
Published on: April 29, 2013
Auditory brainstem responses in children with congenital heart disease
V Okutan1, S Demirkaya, M K Lenk
1Department of Pediatrics, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey. cocuksag@gata.edu.tr
Insights
Cyanotic congenital heart disease can delay brainstem maturation in infants under one year old due to chronic hypoxemia. Acyanotic heart disease does not impact auditory brainstem responses.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) can cause developmental delays in children.
- Chronic hypoxemia in cyanotic CHDs may impact the central nervous system.
- Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) assess brainstem maturation and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of cyanotic and acyanotic CHDs on brainstem maturation.
- To compare ABRs in children with CHDs to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- ABRs were recorded in 45 children with CHDs (23 cyanotic, 22 acyanotic) and 30 healthy children.
- Participants ranged in age from 2 months to 15 years.
- ABRs were analyzed for I-V interpeak latencies.
Main Results:
- ABRs were similar in acyanotic patients and healthy children.
- Cyanotic patients under 1 year showed prolonged I-V interpeak latencies compared to controls (P < 0.05).
- In cyanotic children, prolonged latencies correlated negatively with oxygen saturation and partial oxygen pressure (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Cyanotic CHDs can significantly retard brainstem maturation in infants under 1 year due to chronic hypoxemia.
- Acyanotic CHDs do not affect auditory brainstem responses.
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for infants with cyanotic heart disease.
Background:
Cyanotic congenital heart diseases usually lead to growth and developmental delay in children due to chronic hypoxemia and undernourishment that may affect the central nervous system. The auditory brainstem responses are determined to assess the maturation and function of the brainstem. Therefore, we used the auditory brainstem responses to investigate the effect of cyanotic congenital heart diseases on brainstem maturation.
Methods:
The auditory brainstem responses were investigated in 45 children (23 cyanotic, 22 acyanotic) with congenital heart diseases and compared with the results of 30 healthy counterparts (all children were aged between 2 months and 15 years).
Results:
The results of auditory brainstem responses were similar in acyanotic patients and in normal children. The cyanotic patients under 1 year of age had more prolonged I-V interpeak latencies than those of control and acyanotic patients (P < 0.05). There was no difference between all groups older than 1 year of age. In cyanotic children, I-V interpeak latencies showed significant negative correlation with arterial oxygen saturation and partial oxygen pressure (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Cyanotic congenital heart diseases may cause significant retardation on brainstem maturation due to chronic hypoxemia, especially in infants under 1 year of age, whereas acyanotic congenital heart diseases have no effect on auditory brainstem responses.
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