PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - R Jedeikin
AU  - A Primhak
AU  - A T Shennan
AU  - P R Swyer
AU  - R D Rowe
TI  - Serial electrocardiographic changes in healthy and stressed neonates.
AID  - 10.1136/adc.58.8.605
DP  - 1983 Aug 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 605--611
VI  - 58
IP  - 8
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/58/8/605.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/58/8/605.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child1983 Aug 01; 58
AB  - Serial changes in T-wave vector and polarity were assessed in 162 electrocardiograms, 117 from 44 healthy term neonates and 45 from 17 stressed neonates. Records were taken at 5 to 8 hours, 24 to 33 hours, and 71 to 96 hours after birth. Sequential changes in both T-wave amplitude and frontal and horizontal axes were found in both groups. A lag period was noted between healthy and stressed infants when comparing changes in T-wave amplitude, with greater flattening of T-waves for longer periods of time after birth in the stressed group. The normal changes in T-wave axis over time in the horizontal and frontal planes showed a similar lag in the stressed group. Alterations of T-wave amplitude and axis alone may be markers of myocardial ischaemia in neonates but are only reliable signs after the first 24 hours of life.