title: Abnormal heart rate characteristics before clinical diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Earlier diagnosis and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants, before clinical deterioration, might improve outcomes. A monitor that measures abnormal heart rate characteristics (HRC) of decreased variability and transient decelerations was developed as an early warning system for sepsis. As NEC shares pathophysiologic features with sepsis, we tested the hypothesis that abnormal HRC occur before clinical diagnosis of NEC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of Bells stage II to III NEC cases among infants <34 weeks gestation enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial of HRC monitoring at three neonatal intensive care units.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 97 infants with NEC and HRC data, 33 underwent surgical intervention within 1 week of diagnosis. The baseline HRC index from 1 to 3 days before diagnosis was higher in patients who developed surgical vs medical NEC (2.06±1.98 vs 1.22±1.10, P=0.009). The HRC index increased significantly 16 h before the clinical diagnosis of surgical NEC and 6 h before medical NEC. At the time of clinical diagnosis, the HRC index was higher in patients with surgical vs medical NEC (3.3±2.2 vs 1.9±1.7, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal HRC occur before clinical diagnosis of NEC, suggesting that continuous HRC monitoring may facilitate earlier detection and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Tatum
authors.forename: J-H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Weitkamp
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Attridge
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: McGahren
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Lake
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Moorman
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Fairchild
mesh_terms: D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies