Early low cardiac output is associated with compromised electroencephalographic activity in very preterm infants

Abstract

Low cerebral blood flow in preterm infants has been associated with discontinuous electroencephalography (EEG) activity that in turn has been associated with poor long-term prognosis. We examined the relationships between echocardiographic measurements of blood flow, blood pressure (BP), and quantitative EEG data as surrogate markers of cerebral perfusion and function with 112 sets of paired data obtained over the first 48 h after birth in 40 preterm infants (24-30 wk of gestation, 510-1900 g at delivery). Echocardiographic measurements of right ventricular output (RVO) and superior vena caval (SVC) flow were performed serially. BP recordings were obtained from invasive monitoring or oscillo..