Asystole and Severe Bradycardia in Preterm Infants

Transient episodes of apnea and bradycardia are common in preterm infants. Pronounced asystole or sinus arrest, however, is relatively rare and the clinical significance of such events is unknown. Objective: The purpose of our study was to: (1) evaluate the prevalence of severe bradycardic and asystolic events in infants studied with polygraphic cardiorespiratory monitoring, (2) characterize these events, and (3) correlate the events with other clinical findings. Methods: A total of 583 studies were performed in 454 preterm infants at a post-conceptional age 37.4 ± 2.5 (range 34–42 weeks). Asystolic pauses were defined as no QRS complex for ≧3 s consistent with a heart rate