title: Early-onset neonatal sepsis is associated with a high heart rate during automatically selected stationary periods.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the heart rate variability characteristics associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis in a prospective, observational controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible patients were full-term neonates hospitalised with clinical signs that suggested early-onset sepsis and a C-reactive protein of >10 mg/L. Sepsis was considered proven in cases of symptomatic septicaemia, meningitis, pneumonia or enterocolitis. Heart rate variability parameters (n = 16) were assessed from five-, 15- and 30-minute stationary sequences automatically selected from electrocardiographic recordings performed at admission and compared with a control group using the U-test with post hoc Benjamini-Yekutieli correction. Stationary sequences corresponded to the periods with the lowest changes of heart rate variability over time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 40 full-term infants were enrolled, including 14 with proven sepsis. The mean duration of the cardiac cycle length was lower in the proven sepsis group than in the control group (n = 11), without other significant changes in heart rate variability parameters. These durations, measured in five-minute stationary periods, were 406 (367-433) ms in proven sepsis group versus 507 (463-522) ms in the control group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early-onset neonatal sepsis was associated with a high mean heart rate measured during automatically selected stationary periods.
authors.affiliation: Inserm, U1099, Rennes, France.|Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France.|Department of Pediatrics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.|Neonatal Department, National Hospital of Pediatrics, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Inserm, U1099, Rennes, France.|Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France.|Obstetrics Department, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vandenbroucke
authors.affiliation: Inserm, U1099, Rennes, France.|Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: Hanoi French Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Tu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.affiliation: Inserm, U1099, Rennes, France.|Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France.|Division of Neonatology and CIC-1414, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beuchée
authors.affiliation: Inserm, U1099, Rennes, France.|Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France.|Division of Neonatology and CIC-1414, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pladys
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D000071074:Neonatal Sepsis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Heart rate; Heart rate variability; Neonatal sepsis; Newborn infant; Signal processing