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Cardiovascular responses to feeding in newborn piglets
1Division of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079.
Pediatric Research
|July 1, 1992
Summary
Newborn piglets exhibit significant cardiovascular responses to feeding, including blood pressure and heart rate increases. These findings in piglets mirror those in human infants, offering insights into neonatal autonomic reactivity.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Neonatal Development
- Cardiovascular Regulation
Background:
- Cardiovascular responses to feeding are observed across species and developmental stages.
- In rats, feeding elicits transient increases in blood pressure and heart rate, mediated by the sympathetic nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiovascular responses to feeding in newborn piglets.
- To compare these responses with those observed in developing rats and human infants.
Main Methods:
- Newborn piglets were fed a milk diet.
- Direct arterial blood pressure and heart rate were recorded during feeding on postnatal days 8 and 9.
- Instrumentation included external carotid artery and internal jugular vein catheters.
Main Results:
- Milk ingestion in piglets caused immediate and substantial increases in blood pressure (up to 50% above baseline).
- Heart rate also increased significantly (up to 42% above baseline).
- The observed cardiovascular response profile in piglets was similar to that in young rats.
Conclusions:
- Newborn piglets display robust cardiovascular responses to milk ingestion, comparable to those in young rats and human infants.
- These responses may serve as a model for assessing neonatal autonomic reactivity.
- Potential adverse cardiovascular effects in at-risk newborns should be considered.