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Review
. 2023 Apr;53(2):102855.
doi: 10.1016/j.neucli.2023.102855. Epub 2023 Mar 23.

Why, when and how to assess autonomic nervous system maturation in neonatal care units: A practical overview

Affiliations
Review

Why, when and how to assess autonomic nervous system maturation in neonatal care units: A practical overview

Hugues Patural et al. Neurophysiol Clin. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

The evaluation of the autonomic reactivity of newborns by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a simple and essential aid to identifying pathological situations of dysautonomia. Thanks to this relatively simple and reproducible analytic tool, the pediatrician can identify and target children at high risk of life-threatening events, i.e., those with insufficient intrinsic capacity for cardiorespiratory self-regulation, who should benefit from close cardiorespiratory monitoring. Different mathematical algorithms integrate delayed or real-time variations in the length of the RR interval to better understand the state of autonomic maturation of the newborn. HRV analysis, as a non-invasive tool for assessing autonomic balance, is essential to assess the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and, more specifically, parasympathetic/sympathetic balance. Despite many recognized diagnostic and therapeutic implications, its application to neonatal medicine is not yet well understood.

Keywords: Autonomic nervous system; Dysautonomia; Neonate; Neurodevelopment; Prematurity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no competing interests to declare.

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