Background: Cardiac blood flow measurements are useful in the haemodynamic management of neonates. Cardiac blood flows can be estimated with functional echocardiography as follows; flow in Superior Vena Cava (SVC), Right Ventricular Outflow (RVO) and Left Ventricular Outflow (LVO). Studies in preterm infants have shown that abnormal superior vena cava flow is associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. To date, normative data on LVO, RVO and SVC flows has been established for term appropriate for gestational age neonates and preterm neonates, but no data is available on RVO, LVO and SVC flows for term small for gestational age neonates.
Objective: To determine Right Ventricular Output (RVO), Left Ventricular Output (LVO) and Superior Vena Cava (SVC) flow after the transitional period in stable full term Small for Gestational Age (SGA) neonates.
Design: Observational study.
Setting: A tertiary care, perinatal centre in western Maharashtra, India.
Participants: Full term (37 to 41 weeks) small for gestational age (weight below 10th percentile for gestational age) infants who were born during the study period.
Methods: RVO, LVO and SVC flows were measured by functional echocardiography on day 7 of life in stable full term SGA neonates from January 2011 to August 2011. Infants who required respiratory or cardiovascular support and intensive care unit admissions for any indication and those with a clinical suspicion of an infection within 48 hours after data collection were excluded from the study.
Statistical analyses: Unpaired t-test was used to compare SVC flow between symmetric and asymmetric SGA neonates.
Main outcome measure: Measurements of RVO, LVO and SVC in term SGA neonates on day 7 of life.
Results: We performed measurements in 52 term SGA neonates with a median (range) birth weight of 2.190 (1.600-2.410) kg. Fifty two measurements were analyzed on day 7. The mean (SD) RVO, LVO and SVC flows were 255.59 (57.42) , 214.61 (52.04) and 126.28 (31.23) mL/kg/min.
Conclusion: This study provides RVO, LVO and SVC flow values in a cohort of stable term SGA neonates after the transitional period.
Keywords: Functional echocardiography; Left ventricular outflow; Right ventricular outflow; Small for gestational age; Superior vena cava flow.