Clinical correlates of periodic breathing in neonatal polysomnography.

Objective: Periodic breathing is a respiratory pattern typical of preterm infants, but its clinical significance has not been clarified yet. The present study was designed to investigate whether the presence of periodic breathing is specifically associated to low post-conceptional ages, preterm birth, or common clinical disorders related to preterm birth.

Methods: The study included 271 consecutive infants submitted to neonatal polysomnography, of whom 138 were born before 37 complete gestational weeks (preterm) and 133 were full-term.