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Cardiac Output Monitoring in Preterm Infants

Matthew McGovern1,2, Jan Miletin1,3,4,5

  • 1Neonatology Department, Coombe Women and Infant University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|April 19, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Monitoring cardiac output (CO) in preterm infants is crucial for preventing organ damage and improving outcomes. This review examines current CO monitoring technologies, their limitations, and future directions in neonatal care.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Medical Technology

Background:

  • Optimal circulatory status is vital for preterm neonates.
  • Low cardiac output (CO) in preterm infants causes poor organ perfusion, increasing morbidity, mortality, and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Monitoring CO aids in early detection and intervention for reduced organ perfusion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current methodologies for monitoring cardiac output in preterm neonates.
  • To discuss the relative merits and limitations of existing CO monitoring techniques.
  • To identify challenges and knowledge gaps in CO monitoring for this population.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cardiac output monitoring in preterm neonates.
  • Analysis of common technologies used for CO monitoring.
  • Discussion of clinical decision-making adjuncts and their imperfections.

Main Results:

  • Various technologies exist for CO monitoring in preterm infants, each with advantages and disadvantages.
  • No single technique is perfect for monitoring CO in this vulnerable population.
  • Clinical decision-making is aided by these technologies, but limitations persist.

Conclusions:

  • Ongoing challenges and knowledge gaps exist in monitoring preterm neonatal CO.
  • Emerging technologies offer potential improvements in CO monitoring.
  • Further research is warranted to advance CO monitoring in preterm infants.

Keywords:
cardiac outputhemodynamicmonitoringneonateperfusionpreterm

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