Predictive value of biochemical, echocardiographic and electrocardiographic markers in non-surviving and surviving asphyxiated full-term newborns.

Severe perinatal asphyxia can cause multiple organ dysfunction and early neonatal mortality. This prospective study was conducted at the Regional University Hospital Neonatology Center in Serbia. The aim of this study was to compare fullterm asphyxiated newborn infants (n=55) with (n=13) and without (n=42) mortality outcome and healthy full-term newborns (n=36) regarding biochemical (cardiac troponin I, creatine kinase (total and MB fraction) and C-reactive protein), echocardiographic (ejection fraction, fractional shortening, mitral regurgitation, significant tricuspid regurgitation, and patent ductus arteriosus) and electrocardiographic (ST segment elevation/depression, T wave inversion and corrected QT interval) markers of myocardial damage in order to assess their predictive value in the clinical outcome.

The role of biochemical markers as early indicators of cardiac damage and prognostic parameters of perinatal asphyxia.

Background/aim: In recent years, the focus of interest of the scientific community is the application of heart markers as early indicators and prognostic parameters of perinatal asphyxia (PA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of clinical application of heart markers in term newborns with perinatal asphyxia.

Methods: During a 3-year period we analyzed 91 full-term newborns (55 with and 36 without perinatal asphyxia).