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Biomedical subjects

W Oh

Publications and source records attributed to W Oh.

366 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

Abnormal heart rate response during newborn sucking behavior study: subsequent sudden infant death syndrome with cardiac conduction abnormality.

This report concerns a four-month-old white female infant who exhibited abnormal feeding behavior and EKG irregularities during a newborn sucking behavior study. The immediate post-birth history showed an irregular heart rate on two occasions, but a cardiac consultation elicited no unusual findings. During sucrose sucking conditions, the heart rate increased with a beat-to-beat variation of 50 beats per minute, noted to be due to premature atrial beats. At 39 days, an EKG showed a marked sinus tachycardia of 156, a PR interval of 0.08, QRS of 0.05 and a QT of 0.26. The infant was diagnosed as a sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) following an unexpected death at home. Subsequent cardiac pathology revealed an anomalous tract between the right atrium and the atrioventricular (AV) bundle which formed an extensive bypass of the AV node (atrio-His tract), and two accessory AV connections between the left atrium and posterior left ventricle. These findings are consistent with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome type A. Only further studies can determine whether such abnormal feeding behavior with EKG irregularities can be used to identify infants who are at high risk for sudden death.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Significance of blood pressure in infancy. Familial aggregation and predictive effect on later blood pressure.

Blood pressure was measured in 730 infants and their mothers within 5 days of birth. Paternal blood pressures were obtained where possible, and follow-up measurements were made on participants at 1 week and 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Infant blood pressures were adjusted for such variables as age, observer, cuff size, and sleep/activity status. Infant blood pressure correlated with maternal blood pressure corrected for age and observer shortly after birth (r = 0.138, p less than 0.001 for systolic pressure; r = 0.169, p less than 0.001 for diastolic pressure). Father-infant correlations were significant only at 1 month after birth (r = 0.179, p = 0.031; r = 0.250, p = 0.002 for systolic and diastolic pressures respectively), and sibling correlations were significant from 6 months after birth (r = 0.173, p = 0.011 for systolic pressure; r = 0.265, p less than 0.001 for diastolic pressure). Blood pressures of infants before 6 months after birth were not consistently predictive of later pressures, but systolic and diastolic blood pressures 6 and 12 months after birth were significantly and positively related to pressures at later ages (for systolic pressures at 6 and 12 months, r = 0.147, p = 0.003; 6 and 18 months, r = 0.218, p less than 0.001; 6 and 24 months, r = 0.212, p less than 0.001). These results indicate that the familial aggregation of blood pressure and blood pressure tracking can be detected early in life.

Adult↗

Prophylactic antibiotics in neonates with umbilical artery catheter placement: a prospective study of 137 patients.

To analyze the risk of cannula sepsis from indwelling umbilical arterial catheters and the indication for prophylactic antibiotics, 137 catheterized neonates with respiratory distress were prospectively placed into either antibiotic-treated (penicillin 50,000U/kg/day and kanamycin 15 mg./kg./day) or non-treated groups. Although bacteria were frequently isolated from blood and catheter tip cultures obtained upon removal of the catheter, especially among non-antibiotic treated infants, these isolates were predominantly non-pathogens and probably skin flora. Corresponding peripheral blood cultures were usually sterile. No cases of cannula-associated sepsis occurred among treated and non-treated newborns. The risk of bacteriologically proven sepsis resulting from an indwelling umbilical artery catheter appears insufficient to justify prophylactic antibiotics.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Factors affecting blood pressures in newborn infants.

Blood pressure (BP) was measured in 837 newborn infants ranging in age from 1-6 days and their mothers in Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. The BP increased significantly with age in days, birth weight, weight on day of measurement, arm circumference, and ponderal index. There was no relation of sex, race, pulse rate, type of feeding, or Apgar scores to BP in the neonatal period. Significant correlation was found between maternal and infant BP (r = 0.196 for systolic (SBP) and 0.157 for diastolic (DBP) pressures, p < 0.001). Preliminary analysis shows a trend for resemblance of 1-month and newborn BP.

Age Factors↗