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QT interval in newborns of different ethnic origin: usefulness of neonatal ECG screening

Julio Martí-Almor1, Rubén Berrueco, Oscar García-Algar

  • 1Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain. jmarti@imas.imim.es

Revista Espanola De Cardiologia
|September 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal electrocardiographic (ECG) screening

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal cardiology
  • Clinical electrophysiology
  • Pediatric screening

Background:

  • The cost-effectiveness of neonatal electrocardiographic (ECG) screening is debated.
  • Establishing normal QT interval values in newborns is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
  • Ethnic variations in cardiac intervals may impact screening protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine normal corrected QT (QTc) interval values in newborns from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
  • To investigate potential ethnic differences in QTc intervals in the neonatal population.
  • To inform the clinical utility of neonatal ECG screening based on ethnic risk stratification.

Main Methods:

  • Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were collected from 1305 term newborns within 48 hours of birth.
  • Newborns were recruited from Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain, between 2005 and 2006.
  • Statistical analysis was performed to compare QTc intervals across different ethnic groups.

Main Results:

  • The mean corrected QT (QTc) interval across all newborns was 417.79 ± 28.47 ms.
  • A pathologic QTc (>440 ms) was identified in 18.33% of the study cohort.
  • Newborns of Maghreb/Near Eastern (27.7%) and Indian/Pakistani (28.2%) origin showed a significantly higher frequency of prolonged QTc compared to Spanish newborns (17.9%).

Conclusions:

  • The corrected QT (QTc) interval in newborns can vary significantly due to genetic factors and ethnic origin.
  • Neonatal ECG screening may be most beneficial for ethnic groups with a higher prevalence of prolonged QTc.
  • Targeted neonatal ECG screening in at-risk ethnic groups could help mitigate the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

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