Vasomotor Reactivity in Premature Neonates at Term

In order to assess the specific sympathetic reactivity in premature infants at term, we designed a study to evaluate the peripheral vasomotor response of such infants when exposed to auditory challenges. Testing was performed in 29 premature neonates at term in both quiet and active sleep during a morning session. Two types of noises were used (click and continuous tones) at three frequencies (250, 1,000 and 6,000 Hz) and at three intensities (60, 85 and 110 dBA). Vasomotor response was studied by analyzing with Mathlab software the variability of the plethysmographic wave of the oxymetric pulse. No behavioral awakening was observed in response to any stimulation. When a tachycardia or a bradycardia reaction to the stimuli was observed, all neonates responded with a vasoconstriction. The global mean of the vasoconstrictive response was 18.45%. The overall ANOVA on the vasomotor response revealed significant effects for sleep stages (t: 1.98; p < 0.05), for frequency (t: 3.3; p < 0.001) and for intensity of noise (t: 3.01; p < 0.03) but no significant response with heart rate variability. From these results, we could conclude that the assessment of the vasomotor response is a very sensitive procedure to determine the reactivity of the autonomic nervous system in neonates, and could be used to study such vegetative responses in other stressful situations with good accuracy.