title: Heart rate characteristics monitoring for neonatal sepsis.
abstract: While heart rate variability has been measured in many clinical settings and has offered insights into how HR is controlled, rarely has it offered unique information that has led to changes in patient management. We review our experience in developing continuous HR characteristics monitoring to aid in the early diagnosis of sepsis in premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. A predictive algorithm, developed at one center and validated at another, has led to diagnosis and treatment of this subacute and potentially catastrophic illness prior to appearance of symptoms of severe illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, USA. rm3h@virginia.edu
authors.forename: J Randall
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Moorman
authors.forename: Douglas E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Lake
authors.forename: M Pamela
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control