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- Hellström-Westas, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Cerebral function monitoring during the first week of life in extremely small low birthweight (ESLBW) infants
- 1991
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In: Neuropediatrics. - 0174-304X. ; 22:1, s. 27-32
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In order to evaluate the usefulness of early continuous EEG-monitoring in very preterm neonates, recordings with a Cerebral Function Monitor (CFM) were made prospectively in 31 ESLBW infants with birthweights below 901 grams, during their first week of life. The CFM background activity was, as expected from EEG studies, dominated by a suppression-burst pattern in 94% of the infants. Some infants had periods with more continuous EEG activity or suppression-burst changing into continuous. Patterns similar to sleep-wake cycling (SWC) were identified in infants with gestational ages as low as 24 weeks. The level of the CFM-background activity was mainly influenced by the presence and severity of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), but also by medications such as phenobarbital. Epileptiform activity (EPA) was only found in infants with ICH, and was identified in 75% of these infants. Of the infants with EPA, 87% had periods with subclinical EPA, although 47% had both clinical and subclinical seizures. The presence of more continuous activity and SWC were indicators of a favourable outcome, whereas electrocerebral inactivity predicted an unfavorable outcome. The prognostic estimates of mortality and neurologic outcome were similar for early CFM recording (positive predictive value 69-100%) and cranial ultrasound scan (positive predictive value 71-100%). The monitoring of cerebral electrical activity also provided immediate and clinically useful information during the intensive care of these ESLBW infants. Further studies on the causal relation between EPA and the development of ICH should be performed before definite conclusions can be drawn concerning any preventive effect from anticonvulsive treatment of clinical/subclinical seizures.
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2. |
- Hellström-Westas, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Cerebroelectrical depression following surfactant treatment in preterm neonates
- 1992
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In: Pediatrics. - 1098-4275. ; 89:4 Pt 1, s. 643-647
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During surfactant treatment of respiratory distress syndrome, 23 premature newborns were investigated with continuous amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (cerebral function monitors). Simultaneously, arterial blood pressure and transcutaneous blood gas values were recorded. A short (less than 10 minutes) but significant decrease in cerebral activity was seen in almost all neonates immediately after the surfactant instillation, in spite of an improved pulmonary function. In 21 of 23 neonates, a transient fall in mean arterial blood pressure of 9.3 mm Hg (mean) occurred coincidently with the cerebral reaction. Neonates in whom intraventricular hemorrhage developed tended to have lower presurfactant mean arterial blood pressure (P greater than .05), but they had a significantly lower mean arterial blood pressure after surfactant instillation (P less than .05). No other differences were found between neonates in whom intraventricular hemorrhage developed and those without intraventricular hemorrhage. The present findings demonstrate that an acute cerebral dysfunction may occur after surfactant instillation. In some vulnerable neonates with arterial hypotension and severe pulmonary immaturity, the fall in mean arterial blood pressure may increase the risk of cerebral complications and could be related to an unchanged rate of intraventricular hemorrhage after surfactant treatment.
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3. |
- Hellström-Westas, Lena
(author)
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Comparison between tape-recorded and amplitude-integrated EEG monitoring in sick newborn infants
- 1992
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In: Acta Pædiatrica. - : Wiley. - 1651-2227 .- 0803-5253. ; 81:10, s. 812-819
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 15 ill newborn infants a comparison between long-term multichannel and single-channel recordings of simultaneously tape-recorded (Medilog system) and amplitude-integrated EEG (Cerebral Function Monitor) was made. There was good agreement between the main type of background activity diagnosed with the tape-recorded and the amplitude-integrated EEG for all recordings. Two infants had repetitive subclinical and subtle seizure activity, lasting for several hours, which was detected by both techniques. Short, single seizures were diagnosed in the recordings of nine infants. When a single electrographic seizure appeared in an otherwise stable recording, it was identified by both the tape-recorded and the amplitude-integrated EEG. Very short (5-30 s) seizure patterns, which were diagnosed with the tape-recorded EEG, were not identified in the cerebral function monitor recordings. In the single-channel recordings of both the EEG and the cerebral function monitor there were, on some occasions, difficulties in distinguishing single seizures from interference due to external artefacts. In the multichannel recordings the diagnosis of seizure patterns was facilitated by comparison with the other channels. Both the Medilog EEG and the cerebral function monitor are feasible techniques for following cerebral electrical activity in sick neonates, although neither technique is specifically constructed for this purpose. For clinical use in the neonatal intensive care unit the advantage with the cerebral function monitor is the immediately available recording. The tape-recorded EEG offers possibilities of more channels and a higher reliability when diagnosing short subclinical seizures, however, only after offline analysis.
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4. |
- Hellström-Westas, Lena, et al.
(author)
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Lidocaine for treatment of severe seizures in newborn infants. II. Blood concentrations of lidocaine and metabolites during intravenous infusion
- 1992
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In: Acta Pædiatrica. - : Wiley. - 1651-2227 .- 0803-5253. ; 81:1, s. 35-39
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The blood concentrations of lidocaine and its main active metabolites, methylethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) and glycinexylidide (GX), were measured in 24 newborn infants during anticonvulsive treatment with an iv infusion of lidocaine. After a bolus dose of 1.5-2.2 mg/kg and continuous infusion of lidocaine (4.7-6.3 mg/kg/h) there was accumulation of the drug and MEGX within 24 h. After termination of the iv infusion, both lidocaine and the metabolites were eliminated within 24-48 h. The anticonvulsive effectiveness--estimated by clinical observation and continuous amplitude integrated EEG monitoring (cerebral function monitor)--was immediate in 15 infants (nine term and six preterm). There was no correlation between blood concentrations of lidocaine and metabolites, and anticonvulsive effect (i.e. good, intermediate or no response). No differences in blood concentrations were found between full-term and preterm babies, or between infants with or without birth asphyxia. In combination with a fast withdrawal of the drug, few adverse reactions were seen with the dosages used, even though blood concentrations were high. Routine measurements of lidocaine concentrations during anticonvulsive treatment in neonates seem to be of little clinical value. For evaluation of the anticonvulsive effect and for early detection of seizure activity during lidocaine withdrawal, continuous EEG monitoring is preferable.
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6. |
- Skov, L, et al.
(author)
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Acute changes in cerebral oxygenation and cerebral blood volume in preterm infants during surfactant treatment
- 1992
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In: Neuropediatrics. - 0174-304X. ; 23:3, s. 126-130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Following administration of surfactant a marked depression in aEEG activity occurs for about 10 minutes; the mechanism of this depression is unknown. In view of this, twenty-nine preterm infants were investigated with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate rapid changes in total cerebral haemoglobin concentration and cerebral oxyhaemoglobin concentration during rescue treatment with natural surfactant. During surfactant instillation there was a short-lasting hypoxaemia as demonstrated by pulseoximetry as well as a considerable fall in arterial blood pressure. With NIRS, tissue hypoxia was demonstrated by a drop in cerebral oxyhaemoglobin concentration. The marked drop in arterial blood pressure occurring immediately following surfactant was not matched by a drop in total cerebral haemoglobin concentration. This suggests that cerebral blood volume and hence cerebral blood flow was maintained. In the following minutes there was an improvement in cerebral oxygenation as indicated by the rise in cerebral oxyhaemoglobin concentration in nearly all the infants.
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