Episodic airway obstruction in premature infants
D. A. Dransfield, A. R. Spitzer and W. W. Fox
Seventy-six premature infants with clinical apnea, bradycardia, or cyanosis
were studied with polygraph recordings of heart rate, nasal thermistor
detection of airflow, and impedance pneumography. Pathologic apnea was
defined by cessation of breathing for greater than 20 s or less than 20 s
with bradycardia (heart rate, less than 100 beats per minute). Apnea was
classified as central, obstructive, or mixed. Four hundred thirty-three
apnea episodes were demonstrated: 238 (55.0%) were central, 53 (12.2%)
showed obstructive apnea, and 142 (32.8%) were mixed. Fifty-two infants
(68.5%) demonstrated some degree of obstructive apnea, while 24 infants
(31.5%) had central apnea only. Bradycardia did not occur in any patient
unless preceded by apnea. In premature infants, a significant percentage of
apnea was associated with airway obstruction.
