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Transverse diameter of chest and heart after birth asphyxia in the newborn infant
Insights
Chest and heart diameters in newborns correlate with birth weight and asphyxia severity. Increased chest diameter suggests a good prognosis, while decreased diameter indicates a poor outlook for survival in infants experiencing birth asphyxia.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Perinatal Research
Background:
- Birth asphyxia is a critical condition in newborns.
- Assessing neonatal health post-asphyxia requires reliable indicators.
- Chest and cardiac dimensions may reflect physiological stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between chest and heart transverse diameters and birth weight in newborns with birth asphyxia.
- To determine the prognostic value of these measurements in relation to asphyxia severity and survival.
- To understand the temporal changes in cardiomegaly following birth asphyxia.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of transverse chest and heart diameters in 745 newborn infants post-birth asphyxia.
- Correlation analysis with birth weight.
- Assessment of measurement variations attributed to asphyxia and compensatory responses.
Main Results:
- Both chest and heart transverse diameters showed a significant correlation with birth weight.
- Individual variations in measurements were linked to the degree of birth asphyxia and infant response.
- An increased chest diameter (above 90th percentile) suggested a good prognosis, while a decreased diameter (below 10th percentile) indicated a poor prognosis.
- Cardiomegaly was often transient, typically resolving within 12 hours, but could persist for over 5 days in severe cases.
Conclusions:
- Transverse chest and heart diameters are valuable indicators in newborns affected by birth asphyxia.
- These measurements, particularly chest diameter, can aid in predicting survival prognosis.
- The duration of cardiomegaly is dependent on the severity of birth asphyxia.
Abstract:
The transverse diameter of the chest and heart was measured in 745 newborn infants after birth asphyxia. Both diameters showed a good correlation with birth weight. The great individual variations of the measurements were due to different degrees of birth asphyxia observed in the infants and to their different responses to compensate asphyxia. A wet lung and an increased transverse diameter of the chest (above the 90th percentile) indicate a good, and a decreased transverse diameter of the chest (bellow the 10th percentile) indicate a bad prognosis for survival. The cardiomegaly usually disappears after the first 12 hours of life, but in some cases it persists for more than 5 days, depending on the severity of birth asphyxia.