Abstract
Background: Hypocarbia causes slowing of background cerebral electrical activity while hypercarbia causes prolonged interburst intervals in very low birth weight babies during the first three days after birth.
Aim: This study aims to determine whether changes in blood gases were associated with changes in background cerebral electrical activity in preterm infants during the first four weeks after birth.
Methods: An observational study is being conducted at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester. 75 minute electroencephalography (EEG) recordings were performed every week for 4 weeks in babies born before 32 weeks gestational age. Capillary blood gases were measured midway during each EEG recording. EEG was analysed by manual calculation of interburst interval. pH, pCO2, base deficit and bicarbonate were entered as variables in a stepwise linear regression model.
Results: 39 EEG recordings have been performed on 13 babies. The corrected gestational age at the time of EEG recording ranged from 24 - 34 weeks. The median (range) of blood gas measurements were: pH: 7.3 (7.18 - 7.43); partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2): 6.68 kPa (5.06 - 10.2); Base deficit: 1.5 (8.9 to -10.7); Bicarbonate: 22.15 mmol/L (16.7 - 33.1). Corrected gestational age was related to duration of interburst interval (r = 0.699; p< 0.001). In a linear regression model, corrected gestational age and pCO2 was related to duration of interburst interval (r = 0.769; p< 0.001).
Conclusion: There is suppression of EEG at higher levels of pCO2.
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Raina, A., Sarwar, M., Hendrickson, A. et al. 105 Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Background Cerebral Electrical Activity in Preterm Infants During the First 4 Weeks After Birth. Pediatr Res 68 (Suppl 1), 56 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00105
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00105