Echocardiographic Evaluation of Cardiac Geometric Morphology and Hemodynamics in Premature Infants / 中国循环杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the echocardiographic cardiac geometric morphology and hemodynamics in premature infants at different gestational age with the inlfuencing factors. Methods: A total of 150 premature infants and 150 full-term control infants were enrolled in this study. Based on gestational age, premature infants were divided into 3 groups①(28-32+6 ) weeks,②(33-34+6 ) weeks,③(35-36+6) weeks; and full term control infants were divided into 2 groups①’(37-38+6) weeks and②’ (39-41+6) weeks respectively. An iE33 Philips ultrasound examination was conducted to measure left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), LVESD, interventricular septum thickness, posterior wall thickness, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), LVESV, stroke volume, LVEF, left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS), cardiac output, stroke index, cardiac index, left ventricular mass, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left ventricular relative wall thickness, left ventricular remodeling index (LVRI) and LVEDVI. Results: With adjusted body surface area, all parameters for cardiac geometric morphology and hemodynamics were similar among different groups,P>0.05. The day-old age (P=0.001), height (P=0.001) and body weight for low weight born infant (P=0.012), for normal weight born infant (P=0.003), for giant infant (P=0.016) were the independent inlfuencing factors for LVMI. The impact of anthropometry and the basic life indexes were similar on LVRI among groups (χ2=42.88,P=0.076), while the covariates were different on LVMI among groups (χ2=123.6,P Conclusion: Cardiac morphology and hemodynamics measured by echocardiography has important clinical meaning for assessing the development and maturity of neonatal hearts in premature infants.