Abstract
The incidence of major disability associated with neonatal apnoeic attacks was studied. The infants had been monitored for apnoea by routine nursing observations and intermittent 24 hr pneumocardiograms. Thirty infants of less than 31 weeks gestation at birth were seen between 2 and 4 years of age. Full physical and ophthalmological examinations were carried out as well as audiometry and Griffiths developmental assessment. The infants were divided into three groups according to the severity of the apnoea: Group I, no apnoea (15 infants); Group II, moderate apnoea (attacks of 20-59 seconds duration) (8 infants); Group III, severe apnoea (10 episodes in 24 hrs, an attack longer than 60 seconds or those requiring ventilation) (17 infants). The results of physical examinations were all normal. No overt defect of visual acuity was found but further fundal examination is being carried out. There was one case of sensorineural deafness in Group I. Developmental quotients (DQ) of the infants in the three groups showed there were no statistically significant differences: Group I, median DQ96; Group II, median DQ 102; Group III, median DQ 91. The result of this study suggests that recurrent or severe apnoeic attacks do not imply a poor prognosis in infants with no other serious neonatal problems.
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Levitt, G., Mushin, A., Bellman, S. et al. OUTCOME OF PRETERM INFANTS WITH NEONATAL APNOEIC ATTACKS. Pediatr Res 19, 1078 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00064
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00064
