Comparison of the effects of phenobarbitone and morphine administration on EEG activity in preterm babies.
Continuously recorded amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) traces of 77 preterm babies were analysed retrospectively, to study the effect of different sedative drugs over a 24-h period. Thirty-seven babies were treated with phenobarbitone, 18 received morphine and 22 babies received no regular sedation. A "burst" was defined as a discharge of integrated amplitude greater than 10 microV and maximum interburst intervals in 10-min epochs over a 2-h period were measured. Maximum interburst was prolonged in babies given either morphine or phenobarbitone for sedation. Administration of a single dose of diazepam for intubation had a marked additive effect on the EEG depression caused by the base sedative and prolonged the effect for 11 to 12 h after drug administration. We conclude that the effect of sedative drugs must therefore be accounted for when interpreting records of quantified EEG for 12 to 24 h after drug administration.
Bell
A H
AH
Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Greisen
G
G
Pryds
O
O
D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D009020:Morphine; D002118:Calcium; D010634:Phenobarbital