Neonatal Heart Rate Variability: a Contemporary Scoping Review of Analysis Methods and Clinical Applications

Overview

Journal BMJ Open

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2021 Dec 22

PMID 34933863

Citations 10

Authors

Samantha Latremouille

Justin Lam

Wissam Shalish

Guilherme SantAnna

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Neonatal heart rate variability (HRV) is widely used as a research tool. However, HRV calculation methods are highly variable making it difficult for comparisons between studies.

Objectives: To describe the different types of investigations where neonatal HRV was used, study characteristics, and types of analyses performed.

Eligibility Criteria: Human neonates ≤1 month of corrected age.

Sources Of Evidence: A protocol and search strategy of the literature was developed in collaboration with the McGill University Health Center's librarians and articles were obtained from searches in the Biosis, Cochrane, Embase, Medline and Web of Science databases published between 1 January 2000 and 1 July 2020.

Charting Methods: A single reviewer screened for eligibility and data were extracted from the included articles. Information collected included the study characteristics and population, type of HRV analysis used (time domain, frequency domain, non-linear, heart rate characteristics (HRC) parameters) and clinical applications (physiological and pathological conditions, responses to various stimuli and outcome prediction).

Results: Of the 286 articles included, 171 (60%) were small single centre studies (sample size <50) performed on term infants (n=136). There were 138 different types of investigations reported: physiological investigations (n=162), responses to various stimuli (n=136), pathological conditions (n=109) and outcome predictor (n=30). Frequency domain analyses were used in 210 articles (73%), followed by time domain (n=139), non-linear methods (n=74) or HRC analyses (n=25). Additionally, over 60 different measures of HRV were reported; in the frequency domain analyses alone there were 29 different ranges used for the low frequency band and 46 for the high frequency band.

Conclusions: Neonatal HRV has been used in diverse types of investigations with significant lack of consistency in analysis methods applied. Specific guidelines for HRV analyses in neonates are needed to allow for comparisons between studies.

Citing Articles

Exploring Computational Techniques in Preprocessing Neonatal Physiological Signals for Detecting Adverse Outcomes: Scoping Review.

Rahman J, Brankovic A, Tracy M, Khanna S Interact J Med Res. 2024; 13:e46946.

PMID: 39163610 PMC: 11372324. DOI: 10.2196/46946.

Full-Term and Preterm Newborns Differ More Significantly in Photoplethysmographic Waveform Variability than Heart Rate Variability.

Kiselev A, Mureeva E, Skazkina V, Panina O, Karavaev A, Chernenkov Y Life (Basel). 2024; 14(6).

PMID: 38929659 PMC: 11204696. DOI: 10.3390/life14060675.

Prediction of outcome of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia using heart rate variability.

Presacco A, Chirumamilla V, Vezina G, Li R, du Plessis A, Massaro A J Perinatol. 2023; 44(4):521-527.

PMID: 37604967 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-023-01754-w.

The Effect of Caffeine on Heart Rate Variability in Newborns: A Pilot Study.

Lenasi H, Rihar E, Filipic J, Klemenc M, Fister P Life (Basel). 2023; 13(7).

PMID: 37511834 PMC: 10381585. DOI: 10.3390/life13071459.

Methods for analyzing infant heart rate variability: A preliminary study.

Claiborne A, Williams A, Jolly C, Isler C, Newton E, May L Birth Defects Res. 2023; 115(10):998-1006.

PMID: 37078641 PMC: 11226182. DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2177.

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