Neonatal cardiorespiratory monitoring techniques

Episodes of apnoea, desaturation and bradycardia are a common occurrence in preterm infants and are known to persist after hospital discharge. These events are typically detected by clinical bedside monitoring, but the type and number of events depend on alarm settings, the inclusion of continuous pulse oximetry and the mode of respiratory monitoring used. The long term effects of cardiorespiratory events remain controversial; however, some studies have suggested an association between prolonged apnoea and morbidity such as impaired neurodevelopmental outcome. Common clinical practice requires an event-free period before hospital discharge, although the specific length of time varies between institutions. Therefore, with the current demand to shorten hospital stay, the possible persistence of cardiorespiratory events after hospital discharge and the potential consequences of these events, cardiorespiratory monitoring remains a subject of considerable interest. Since cardiorespiratory event detection is dependent on the mode of monitoring used, this chapter will focus on both the respiratory patterns and types of cardiorespiratory events that occur in the infant population and the modalities of cardiorespiratory monitoring currently available to detect these events.