Abstract
Objectives
Assess heart rate (HR) trends in the minutes following delivery in late preterm infants 34ā36 6/7 weeks with spontaneous respirations and compare trends in infants with delayed transition requiring interventions and assess the direct potential impact of these interventions on HR changes.
Design
Prospective observational single center study in 20 late preterm infants born via cesarean section utilizing the NeoBeat which uses dry electrode technology to obtain blinded HR measures in infants with spontaneous respirations versus infants requiring interventions i.e.: positive pressure ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure or suctioning.
Results
Initial HR in spontaneously breathing infants (nā=ā8) was higher versus those requiring interventions, differences that persisted through five minutes. Iatrogenic bradycardia ranging from 65 to 90 beats/minute was induced by interventions in five(42%) of 12 infants.
Conclusions
Initial HR in spontaneously breathing late preterm infants was significantly higher compared to infants who received interventions. Respiratory interventions induced sudden unanticipated bradycardia in many cases.
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Data availability
The data are available upon reasonable request.
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Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
YD designed the study, recruited the subjects, applied the NeoBeat, reviewed and analyzed the data, drafted the initial manuscript, critically reviewed and revised the manuscript DE helped in the design of the study, helped in the data analysis, revised the manuscript. RM recruited subjects, applied the Neobeat and revised the manuscript. CT facilitated and directed the statistical analysis, revised the manuscript. CO facilitated the recruitment of patients and revised the manuscript. JP provided senior mentoring on all aspects of the study and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript for important intellectual content, revised the manuscript and approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethical approval
This study was approved by the Weill Cornell Institutional Review Board (FWA # 00000093. Consent was obtained from the parent prior to delivery.
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Davydova, Y., Elachi, D., Miller, R. et al. Immediate heart rate changes in late preterm infants receiving resuscitation in the delivery room. J Perinatol 45, 1568ā1572 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-025-02220-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-025-02220-5
