Early Human Development, 15 (1987) 179-187

Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd.

170

EHD 00845

Abstracts

of papers presented at the Neonatal Society Meeting

November, 1986 London, U.K.

The effect of tilting on tramcutaneous oxygen and carbon dioxide measurements in newborn infants. F. Cowan and M. Thoresen, Department of Neonatology, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo, and Department of

Physiology, University of Oslo, Norway.

We have measured transcutaneous oxygen (tcp02) and carbon dioxide (tcpC02) before, during and after

tilts of 25-30” in healthy term (n = Y), healthy preterm (n = 9) and newborns with respiratory problems

(n = 5). All babies lay prone, tcp02 and tcpCO2 being measured in the interscapular region. Several tilts

were performed on each baby, each tilt lasting 5-l 0 s and each position held for 5 min before the next tilt.

The term infants were examined on days 1 and 5 of life in active and quiet sleep and tilted up and down

from the horizontal. The preterm and sick infants were only tilted head up. Tilts associated with any body

movement, or a change of sleep state, were not included in the analysis. The healthy infants, term and preterm (having a baseline value of tcp02, in the term infants of from

8.0 to 10.6 and 7.5 to 10.2 kPa in the preterm) showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in tcp02 and head up tilting (median values, term, day I. 0.5 kPa; term, dav 5.0.X kPa; preterm 0.0 kPa; range --0.2 to

+2.3 kPa). This was reversed on return to the horizontal position. The degree of change was consistant

for any one baby. Head down tilt produced an equivalent fall in the term infants. Sleep stale did not affect the results. Tilting of the sick infants produced no consistent alteration in tcp02. In none of the infants

was there a significant alteration in tcpCO2.

These results show that healthy infants increase their tcp02 on tilting head up, hut this effect is not seen in infants with respiratory disease. As tcpCO2 was unaltered it seems that alveolar ventilation IS nor

affected. The change in tcp02 is probably brought about by an alteration in ventilation/perfusion ratio.

Serum acute phase reactants in necrtising enterocolitis. David Isaacs. Jonathan North. David I.indscll and Andrew Wilkinson. Departments of Paediatrics. Immunology and Radiology. John Radcliffe

Hospital. Oxford.

4 prospective study was designed to test the value of the measurement of serum acute phase reactants in

the diagnosis and management of necrotising enterocolitis. Babic!, with suspected nscrotisinp cnterocoliti\

(NEC) were entered into the study over a year. Blood was taken at the time of diagnosis and after 2.7 and IO days for measurement of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and orosomucoid (a- I -acid glyco-protein)

by laser nephelometry.

Babies were assigned to ane of three groups according to their eventual clinical cour\c and wnhout

knowledge of acute phase reactant measurements. Group I babies with “definite NEC”’ had blood in the stools. abdominal distension and intramural gas or a per-operative or posr-mortem diagnosi\ of NFC

0378-37X2/87/$(,3.50 63 IYX7 Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd

Published and Printed in Ireland