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Cardiorespiratory functioning of preterm infants: stability and risk associations for measures of heart rate
J A DiPietro1, M O Caughy, R Cusson
1Department of Maternal & Child Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Insights
Cardiorespiratory measures like heart period and oxygen saturation show stability in preterm infants. These stable measures reflect neuroregulatory function, aiding in developmental assessments.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Developmental pediatrics
- Cardiorespiratory monitoring
Background:
- Cardiorespiratory measures are increasingly used for infant development assessment.
- Limited data exist on the stability and interrelations of these measures in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the stability of cardiac and arterial oxygenation measures in preterm infants.
- To examine the relationships between these cardiorespiratory measures.
- To explore associations with perinatal risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated heart period, heart period variability, vagal tone, mean pulse oxygen saturation, and oxygen saturation variability.
- Data collected from 35 preterm infants on five occasions: early neonatal period, 34 weeks postconceptional age, and discharge.
- Utilized pulse oximetry for oxygenation assessment.
Main Results:
- Cardiac measures demonstrated both short-term and long-term stability.
- Oxygen saturation showed only short-term stability before 34 weeks.
- Mean heart period correlated positively with heart period variability.
- Mean oxygen saturation inversely related to oxygen saturation variability.
- Significant associations found between cardiorespiratory patterns and perinatal risk.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac and oxygenation measures reflect stable neuroregulatory characteristics in preterm infants.
- These findings support the use of cardiorespiratory measures for developmental assessment in this population.
Abstract:
Cardiorespiratory measures are used with increasing frequency to assess individual differences in development in full-term and preterm infants, yet little information exists concerning the stability of these measures or their relations to each other. This study assessed three common cardiac measures (heart period, heart period variability, and vagal tone) and two measures of arterial oxygenation based on pulse oximetry (mean pulse oxygen saturation and variability) in a sample of 35 preterm infants. Data were collected on five occasions: on 3 consecutive days in the early neonatal period, at 34 weeks postconceptional age, and at discharge. Results indicate both short-term and longer term stability for all cardiac measures. Oxygen saturation demonstrated only short-term stability prior to 34 weeks. Mean heart period was positively associated with both measures of heart period variability at each assessment point, while mean oxygen saturation level was inversely related to oxygen saturation variability. In addition, significant associations between cardiorespiratory patterns and perinatal risk measures were found. It is concluded that these measures reflect stable characteristics of neuroregulatory function in preterm infants.