RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Central–peripheral temperature difference, blood pressure, and arginine vasopressin in preterm neonates undergoing volume expansion
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
JO Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP F43
OP F45
DO 10.1136/fn.78.1.F43
VO 78
IS 1
A1 Heather J Lambert
A1 Peter H Baylis
A1 Malcolm G Coulthard
YR 1998
UL http://fn.bmj.com/content/78/1/F43.abstract
AB AIM To examine the effect of intravascular volume expansion for the treatment of hypovolaemia in sick preterm neonates. METHODS An intravenous infusion of 20 ml per kg of 4.5 % albumin was given to 14 preterm neonates. The effects on systolic blood pressure, central peripheral temperature difference (c-pT), and plasma arginine vasopressin concentration (pAVP) were measured. RESULTS Thirteen babies showed a rise in systolic blood pressure. The six babies with the highest initial values of pAVP and c-pT showed a fall in both of these after infusion. The babies with lower initial pAVP (below 4 pmol/l) showed either a rise (two) or no change (six) after albumin infusion. There was a significant correlation between c-pT and log pAVP before (r2=0.61; p<0.05) and after infusion (r2=0.45; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Plasma AVP concentration is related to c-pT in unwell preterm newborns. This study suggests that clinical assessment of hypovolaemia in preterm newborns is poor and could be improved by using c-pT.