Key result
Maturation, sleep state, and respiration influenced heart rate variability in very preterm infants, with low-frequency variability increasing with gestational age and high-frequency with postnatal age.
Why the study?
How do maturation, sleep state, and respiration influence heart rate variability in spontaneously breathing very preterm infants?
Observational (n=16)
How do maturation, sleep state, and respiration influence heart rate variability in spontaneously breathing very preterm infants?
In very preterm infants, heart rate variability is significantly influenced by gestational age, postnatal age, sleep state, and respiration, reflecting early autonomic nervous system maturation.
Maturation-linked low-frequency HRV rise in preterm infants is hypothesis-generating; larger studies needed before any clinical monitoring role.
The influence of maturation, sleep state and respiration on heart rate variability was studied in 16 spontaneously breathing preterm infants (< 33 weeks). ECG, respiratory impedance curve and movements were recorded four times a day, during the first three days of life. The power content of selected frequency bands of the R-R interval power spectrum, as well as respiratory frequency and breath amplitude oscillation frequency, were calculated for 3-min periods. An increase in low-frequency heart rate variability with gestational age was found. High-frequency variability increased during early postnatal life. Sleep state influenced very low-frequency heart rate variability. The amount of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and breath amplitude sinus arrhythmia was determined mainly by respiratory rate and breath amplitude oscillation frequency, respectively. The influences of gestational and postnatal age on heart rate variability might be due to an increase in sympathetic tone before birth and a change in parasympathetic-sympathetic balance after birth. Respiration has an important influence on heart rate variability, even in very preterm infants.
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Ravenswaaij‐Arts et al. (1994) conducted an observational in Preterm infants (n=16). Maturation, sleep state, and respiration was evaluated on Heart rate variability (power content of selected frequency bands of the R-R interval power spectrum). Maturation, sleep state, and respiration influenced heart rate variability in very preterm infants, with low-frequency variability increasing with gestational age and high-frequency with postnatal age.
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