Background and hypothesis: We investigated the hypothesis that the degree of neonatal encephalopathy will be revealed by the neurological control of the heart (HRV) after birth

Design: Retrospective evaluation of HRV in BA infants and prospective in controls

Setting: Tertiary referral neonatal service in SE Scotland.

Patients: 23 infants >36 wks gestation with at birth an acidosis(pH<7.1), or Apgar score at 5 mins=<5 and a later clinical diagnosis of neonatal encephalopathy (mild, n=5: moderate, n=11; severe, n=7). Compared to 7 healthy full term neonates measured prospectively.

Data: Heart rate collected at 1 herz

Methods: HRV measured by linear analysis (standard deviation, [SD]), Spectral analysis (low, mid, high and total band power, [LBP, MBP, HBP, TBP]) and non linear fractal analysis (structural, [struct] and textural, [text] dimensions).

Statistics: Mann Whitney U test between healthy and NNE groups(*<0.05, **<0.02, ***<0.01)

Results: Table

Table 1
Full size table

Conclusions: HRV is affected by BA and in proportion to the degree of NNE