Electrocardiographic Parameters in Neonates with Hyperbilirubinemia in Northeast Iran

Abstract

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia, a common illness in neonates, imposes a risk of arrhythmia and sudden death, particularly during blood transfusions. The present study aimed to evaluate the electrocardiographic parameters in term newborns with hyperbilirubinemia in Gorgan, northeast Iran. Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 101 term neonates admitted to our academic hospital with hyperbilirubinemia (direct bilirubin> 20 mg/dL). Those with sepsis, TORCH[(T)toxoplasmosis, (O)ther Agents, (R)ubella (also known as German Measles), (C)ytomegalovirus, and (H)erpes Simplex], congenital heart disease, polycythemia, and asphyxia were excluded. An electrocardiogram (ECG) was taken before the initiation of phototherapy, and heart rate, PR interval, QRS duration, QTc interval, and ST-T changes were recorded after every 8 h during the phototherapy. Results: In this population of neonates with a mean age of 6.09±3.57 days, the results demonstrated that after 32 h of phototherapy, bilirubin decreased to less than 20 mg/dL. Following that, intensive phototherapy was replaced with the conventional method. Changes in ECG parameters were not significantly related to changes in bilirubin levels (P> 0.05). Conclusion: As evidenced by the results of this study, there was no significant relationship between ECG parameters and serum level of bilirubin; nonetheless, changes in cardiovascular parameters along with bilirubin levels were remarkable.

Keywords

• long qtc interval
• neonatal hyperbilirubinemia
• tachycardia