Keith P Williams1, Avash Singh. 1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8063, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To relate umbilical artery blood gas parameters to mortality among neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy related to early onset seizures. DESIGN: Population cohort study. SETTING: British Columbia Women's Hospital. POPULATION: Forty-seven infants at >or=32 weeks of gestation admitted to NICU with early onset seizures secondary to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy with umbilical artery blood gases done at delivery. METHODS: Patients were divided into two groups: (1) Infants with neonatal seizures who survived, and (2) infants with neonatal seizures who died related to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy complications. Comparison of umbilical artery pH, PO(2), PCO(2), base deficit was done between the two groups with Student's t tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Umbilical artery pH, PO(2), PCO(2) and base deficit. RESULTS: The PO(2) was significantly higher in the group that expired (18.36 +/- 9.15 vs 12.33 +/- 7.51). There were no significant differences in any other blood gas parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION: Neither the umbilical artery pH nor base deficit is predictive of neonatal death in infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy with seizures. The finding of a high PO(2) in neonates who died may indicate an inability of those infants to efficiently extract oxygen from blood.
OBJECTIVE: To relate umbilical artery blood gas parameters to mortality among neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy related to early onset seizures. DESIGN: Population cohort study. SETTING: British Columbia Women's Hospital. POPULATION: Forty-seven infants at >or=32 weeks of gestation admitted to NICU with early onset seizures secondary to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy with umbilical artery blood gases done at delivery. METHODS:Patients were divided into two groups: (1) Infants with neonatal seizures who survived, and (2) infants with neonatal seizures who died related to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy complications. Comparison of umbilical artery pH, PO(2), PCO(2), base deficit was done between the two groups with Student's t tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Umbilical artery pH, PO(2), PCO(2) and base deficit. RESULTS: The PO(2) was significantly higher in the group that expired (18.36 +/- 9.15 vs 12.33 +/- 7.51). There were no significant differences in any other blood gas parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION: Neither the umbilical artery pH nor base deficit is predictive of neonatal death in infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy with seizures. The finding of a high PO(2) in neonates who died may indicate an inability of those infants to efficiently extract oxygen from blood.