Non benign neonatal arrhythmias observed in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit

To analyze non benign neonatal arrhythmias (NA) observed in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

From June 2006 through July 2011, newborns admitted to the NICU for NA or diagnosed as NA after hospitalization were evaluated retrospectively. The newborns with non benign NA were included in the study.

During the study period, the incidence of non-benign NA was 0.7 % (n = 55/7880). The mean age at diagnosis was 16.7 ± 1.8 d ranging from 1 d to 90 d. The most common type was supraventricular arrhythmia (SVT) with an incidence of 0.3 %. Univariate analyses showed that there were significant differences between the survived and died infants according types of congenital heart disease (CHD), electrolyte imbalance, and arrhythmias. The mortality rates were higher among infants with obstructive type left-to right shunt and common mixing type CHD. The most dangerous type of electrolyte imbalance was hyperkalemia.

Many arrhythmias could not be noticed at neonatal period even in NICU, implying that it is increasingly important for the physician to be aware of the etiology, development, and natural history of these arrhythmias.