Catecholamine release in the newborn infant at birth

ABSTRACT Summary: Catecholamines were determined by a fluorometric technique in umbilical blood which was collected from new born infants immediately alter birth. The mean catecholamine

concentration was 62.1 nmol/liter in the umbilical artery and 29.3 nmol/liter in the umbilical vein of newborn full term infants delivered uneventfully. This value is considerably higher

than in resting adults. Similar levels of catecholamines were seen alter elective cesarean sections, whereas considerably higher levels were found after breech deliveries. In the full term

asphyxiated infants about a 4-fold increase of the catecholamine concentration was found in both the umbilical arterial and venous blood. The amine concentration level correlated inversely

to the pH below 7.25 (10log catecholamine concentration versus pH, _r_ = −0.71). Preterm infants had, in general, lower amine levels than full term infants both after uneventful deliveries

and after intrauterine asphyxia. The catecholamine levels were considerably increased in the newborn infants who showed some kind of abnormal fetal heart rate variation during the last hour

before birth; in particular baseline changes were associated with high levels whereas only a moderate increase was seen after loss of beat-to-beat variation. Speculation: The high

catecholamine concentrations in umbilical blood, seen even after uneventful deliveries, indicate that the sympathoadrenal system might have a functional role in the fetus at delivery. The

enormous levels at asphyxia might be of importance to sustain the circulatory homeostasis. SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS HEART RATE MARKERS FOR PREDICTION OF FETAL ACIDOSIS IN AN

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PDF AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Physiology, and Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Karolinska

Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden Hugo Lagercrantz & Peter Bistoletti Authors * Hugo Lagercrantz View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar * Peter Bistoletti View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS

ARTICLE Lagercrantz, H., Bistoletti, P. Catecholamine Release in the Newborn Infant at Birth. _Pediatr Res_ 11, 889–893 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197708000-00007 Download

citation * Issue Date: 01 August 1977 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197708000-00007 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

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Adrenaline * asphyxia * catecholamines * fetus * heart rate * noradrenaline