Abstract
Calf blood flow (CBF) in term infants has previously been found to respond to feeding by an initial decrease followed by a postprandial hyperemia. In contrast, preterm infants showed this regional redistribution only when their postconceptual age approached term. The purpose of this study was to find out whether CBF is a uniform reflection of the infant's peripheral circulation.
Postprandial CBF and forearm blood flow (FBF) were measured in 9 term (>37 wks. g.a.) and 6 preterm infants by venous occlusion plethysmography. Peripheral vascular resistance (PVR) was calculated from mean blood pressure and limb blood flow (LBF).
Postprandial FBF paralleled the changes in CBF i.e., an initial decrease followed by an increase in seven out of nine term infants, but only in two out of six preterm infants. In four of the six preterm infants FBF did not follow changes in CBF. In three of them FBF decreased 15-30 minutes after feeding, and subsequently increased, similar to term infants. PVR varied indirectly with LBF.
It is suggested that in term infants, postprandial FBF changes were more consistently in accordance with CBF changes than in preterm infants. (YAO et al. Collogue INSERM 133:177, 1986.)
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Valencia, G., Frankfort, P., Gatmaitan, A. et al. COMPARISON OF POSTPRANDIAL FOREARM vs CALF BLOOD FLOW CHANGES IN PRETEPM AND TERM INFANTS. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 223 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00340
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00340