TY - JOUR
T1 - Spectral analysis of heart rate fluctuations and optimum thermal management for low birth weight infants
AU - Davidson, S.
AU - Reina, N.
AU - Shefi, O.
AU - Hai-Tov, U.
AU - Akselrod, S.
PY - 1997/11
Y1 - 1997/11
N2 - Spectral analysis of heart rate variability is studied in 10 healthy growing premature infants to investigate the changes in autonomic balance achieved as a function of changes in skin temperature. Heart rate is obtained from ECG recordings and the power spectrum of beat-to-beat heart rate fluctuations is computed. The infants maintain mean rectal temperature within 36.3-37.2 °C, while skin temperature changes. The respiratory rate does not change at the different servocontrol set points. Heart rate is found to increase slightly, but consistently. The low-frequency band (0.02-0.2 Hz), reflecting the interplay of the sympathetic and parasympathetic tone and known to be maximum at the thermoneutral zone, is maximum at 35.5 and 36 °C and decreases gradually to a lower level at a servocontrol temperature of 36.5-37 °C. The high-frequency band (0.2-2.0 Hz), coinciding with the respiratory peak and reflecting parasympathetic activity, is significantly elevated at 36 °C (p<0.01). The minimum low: high ratio, indicating the minimum sympathetic-parasympathetic balance and possibly reflecting the most comfortable conditions, occurs at 36 °C, although the differences are not statistically significant. Servocontrol skin temperature may thus be adapted, and possibly selected at 36 °C for growing premature infants in an attempt to achieve thermal comfort and more balanced autonomic activity.
AB - Spectral analysis of heart rate variability is studied in 10 healthy growing premature infants to investigate the changes in autonomic balance achieved as a function of changes in skin temperature. Heart rate is obtained from ECG recordings and the power spectrum of beat-to-beat heart rate fluctuations is computed. The infants maintain mean rectal temperature within 36.3-37.2 °C, while skin temperature changes. The respiratory rate does not change at the different servocontrol set points. Heart rate is found to increase slightly, but consistently. The low-frequency band (0.02-0.2 Hz), reflecting the interplay of the sympathetic and parasympathetic tone and known to be maximum at the thermoneutral zone, is maximum at 35.5 and 36 °C and decreases gradually to a lower level at a servocontrol temperature of 36.5-37 °C. The high-frequency band (0.2-2.0 Hz), coinciding with the respiratory peak and reflecting parasympathetic activity, is significantly elevated at 36 °C (p<0.01). The minimum low: high ratio, indicating the minimum sympathetic-parasympathetic balance and possibly reflecting the most comfortable conditions, occurs at 36 °C, although the differences are not statistically significant. Servocontrol skin temperature may thus be adapted, and possibly selected at 36 °C for growing premature infants in an attempt to achieve thermal comfort and more balanced autonomic activity.
KW - Heart rate fluctuations
KW - Low birth weight
KW - Spectral analysis
KW - Thermal management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031281301&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/bf02510969
DO - 10.1007/bf02510969
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C2 - 9538537
AN - SCOPUS:0031281301
SN - 0140-0118
VL - 35
SP - 619
EP - 625
JO - Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing
JF - Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing
IS - 6
ER -