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Updated: Jun 29, 2025
Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography
Published on: January 27, 2023
Cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular systolic function in former very preterm infants and term controls at
Michaela Höck1, Anna Posod1, Irena Odri Komazec2
1Department of Pediatrics II, Neonatology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Insights
Former preterm infants show no significant differences in cardiac biomarkers or left ventricular function at preschool age. This suggests current perinatal care may mitigate long-term cardiovascular risks in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Cardiology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Improved perinatal care has increased survival rates for preterm infants.
- Preterm infants remain at higher risk for developing cardiovascular sequelae later in life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular systolic function in former preterm infants compared to term-born controls at preschool age.
Main Methods:
- Study included 80 preterm infants (born <32 weeks gestation) and 25 term-born controls aged 5-7 years.
- Collected anthropometric data, blood pressure, high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), NT-pro-BNP, fractional shortening (FS), and left ventricular mass (LVM).
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in hs-cTnT or NT-pro-BNP concentrations between preterm and term-born groups.
- Fractional shortening and left ventricular mass index (LVM/LVMI) were also comparable between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- At preschool age, preterm infants exhibit no significant differences in cardiac biomarkers or left ventricular systolic function compared to term controls.
- Further research is needed to explore cardiac biomarkers for predicting subclinical cardiac alterations post-preterm birth.
Introduction:
Due to improvements in perinatal care, survival rates of preterm infants have improved during the last decades. However, these infants remain at risk of developing cardiovascular sequelae later in life. This study aimed to investigate the cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular systolic function in former preterm infants in comparison with term controls at preschool age.
Methods:
The study included children aged 5-7 years old born below 32 weeks of gestational age. The control group consisted of same-age children born at term. Basic data of study participants were collected using questionnaires and follow-up databases. During the study visit, we recorded anthropometric data and blood pressure readings, determined high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) concentrations, and calculated fractional shortening (FS) and left ventricular mass (LVM).
Results:
Term-born (n = 25; median gestational age, 40.1 weeks) compared with preterm-born infants (n = 80; median gestational age 29.6 weeks) showed no significant differences in the median concentration of hs-cTnT [median, 3.5 (IQR 3.5; 3.5) vs. 3.5 (3.5; 3.5) ng/L, p = 0.328] and the median concentration of NT-pro-BNP [median, 91.0 (IQR 40.8; 150.3) vs. 87.5 (50.1; 189.5) ng/L, p = 0.087]. FS and LVM/LVMI were not significantly different between the two groups.
Conclusion:
At preschool age, we observed no significant differences in cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular systolic function in preterm infants. Further studies are warranted to explore the potential of cardiac biomarkers as a prognostic tool for subclinical cardiac alterations after preterm birth.
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