Preterm infant behavioral and heart rate responses to antenatal phenobarbital.
The effects of antenatal phenobarbital on behavioral state and heart rate (HR) were examined in a randomized sample of 49 preterm infants > 24 and < 34 weeks postconceptional age. Behavioral state and HR observations were made during a routine care giving procedure on Days 1, 2, and 3 of life. There were no differences in behavioral state and HR responses between control and experimental subjects, suggesting that antenatal phenobarbital did not have a sedative effect on experimental subjects. Infants in both study groups responded to caregiving with changes to fussy/cry behavior and increases in HR. Older infants and nonventilated infants were more often in fussy/cry states during care giving than younger infants and ventilated infants. The HR increases were not clinically important, but the behavioral changes were, suggesting that behavioral response may be a more sensitive sign of distress than HR in very young preterm infants.
McCain
G C
GC
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
Donovan
E F
EF
Gartside
P
P
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D018743:Perinatal Care; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D010634:Phenobarbital