Abstract
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a non-invasive indicator of vagal tone on the heart. Vagal pathways producing RSA originate in the nucleus ambiguus and are related to feeding and other processes such as sleep state organization, vocalizations, and non-vocal gestures. To study the utility of RSA as an index of the maturation of vagal pathways in preterm infants, RSA and heart period (HP=interbeat intervals) were monitored during oral or gastric tube bolus feedings in 35 premature infants stratified by gestational age (GA): Group 1=≤30 wks GA (n=18); Group 2=≥31 wks GA (n=17). Infants in Group 1 were tested at a mean post-conceptional age of 33.3±2.3 wks(range=29-37 wk); Group 2 infants were tested at a mean post-conceptional age of 33.9±1.6 wks (range=31-37 wk).
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