Asystole and severe bradycardia in preterm infants.

Unlabelled: Transient episodes of apnea and bradycardia are common in preterm infants. Pronounced asystole or sinus arrest, however, is relatively rare and the clinical significance of such events is unknown.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to: (1) evaluate the prevalence of severe bradycardic and asystolic events in infants studied with polygraphic cardiorespiratory monitoring, (2) characterize these events, and (3) correlate the events with other clinical findings.

Relationship of the ventilatory response to hypoxia with neonatal apnea in preterm infants.

Objective: Correlate the ventilatory response of preterm infants to hypoxic exposure with incidence of neonatal apnea. Study design Seventeen stable convalescing premature infants underwent bedside cardiorespiratory monitoring of respiration using respiratory inductance plethysmography, heart rate, and oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) for a 12-hour period. These studies were scored for number of apneas > or =15 and > or =20 seconds.