Telemetry as a new concept in long term monitoring of SIDS-risk infant.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the most frequent cause of infant death within the period of 2 to 12 months in western countries. It has been found that a suit similar to that worn by the astronauts during the execution of experiments on the Spacelab Mission D-2 is a very simple and useful means to carry the sensors required to monitor vital signs of babies at risk. A small baby-suit has been developed with the same technology used for the Spacelab Mission. The baby s suit is equipped with similar sensors to record thoracic and abdominal respiratory movements as its big -space travel brother-. This is a typical example of a successful technology transfer from medical aerospace activities into fields of daily clinical routine. In addition to the above described sensors, ECG-electrodes were integrated, as well as sensors to record vascular oxygen saturation and the corresponding pulse curve, and the baby s movements. All these vital signs are registered by a medical monitor, and permanently stored and automatically analysed online. In case of a life-threatening situation the system alerts simultaneously the personal at hospital and the parents at home. The requisite software algorithms have been developed by DLR in Cooperation with the pediatricians of the Pediatric Hospital in Köln-Porz, Cologne. When the system registers an alteration of the parameters above described -as a signal of a change in the baby s health condition- all vital signs are transfered in real-time to the supervising hospital via radio data transmission devices, mobile phone or a fixed network phone. The parents are also alerted by the device, and they can carry out the necessary reanimation procedures in case of an emergency. Parents will be trained in such actions when newborns must to be monitored. But nevertheless, they are guided and tele-assisted by an expert via telephone during the action. A clinical field trial, that will start in December 1999 at the Pediatric Hospital in Köln-Porz, Cologne, will evaluate the benefits of teleprotection by home monitoring of SIDS risk-babies.

[Neurovegetative symptoms in infants with sleep-related respiratory disorders]. / Neurovegetative Symptome bei Säuglingen mit schlafbezogenen Atmungsregulationsstörungen.

A relationship between neurovegetative symptoms and an increased risk of sudden infant death (SID) has been frequently described. Such symptoms are vomiting because of gastroesophageal reflux, breathing disorders while nutritive sucking, excessive sweating during sleep, prolonged apneas and apneas with associated symptoms, further unexplained episodes of cyanosis, pallor and loss of muscle tone. An acute decompensation of the cardiorespiratory autonomic system during sleep is currently discussed to be one of the causes of SID. Polysomnographic investigations are used to diagnose sleep related cardiorespiratory autonomic dysfunction. In this study, infants up to the age of 5 months were examined using polysomnography throughout their entire nocturnal sleep. The findings from 79 infants with neurovegetative symptoms were compared with the results from 163 healthy control children. Indications of an impaired respiratory regulation during sleep were shown to be significantly more frequent in infants with neurovegetative symptoms. In particular the occurrence of periodic breathing with a high frequency of periodic apnea plus a large number of acute decreases in oxygen saturation could be shown in infants with neurovegetative symptoms. The findings were most pronounced during the first 1.5 months after birth. The results of this investigations lead to the conclusion that, in the case of young infants with breathing abnormalities, neurovegetative symptoms can frequently be observed. The occurrence of such symptoms should therefore be a reason for a polysomnographic examination.

[Methodology and problems in home monitoring of children with sleep-related respiratory disorders--perspectives]. / Methodik und Problematik der Heimüberwachung von Kindern mit schlafbezogenen Atmungsstörungen--Perspektiven.

In a pilot study we interviewed parents of 100 formerly home monitored infants about problems during the monitoring period. The duration of home monitoring was between 1 and 48 months (median 15 months). 95% of the parents reported false alarms. 66% of the infants had real alarms, in 50% of the infants interventions were necessary. 3% of the infants had to be resuscitated. Only 47% of the parents felt safe in the practice of resuscitation even though all parents had been trained before. Perspectives of improvement of home monitoring are discussed.