Home Monitoring of Infants

Home apnea monitors are often prescribed for infants thought to be at high risk for SIDS [3] . At specialty apnea centers -- such as the one at Emory Egleston Hospital -- infants prone to SIDS are typically followed on home cardiorespiratory monitors that can record a child’s heart rate (including the actual EKG waveform) and chest wall movements. The monitor constantly records and erases data about the child’s heart rate and breathing. If certain preset parameters for apnea and/or bradycardia are violated, two functions occur. First, the monitor alarms to warn the caregiver of a problem. Second, the monitor records the EKG, trend event of the heart rate, and the respiratory waveforms. This data can be downloaded via telephone modem to verify the events. In addition to saving lives by alerting the caretaker that an infant has stopped breathing or dropped his/her heart rate below what is considered a “safe” level, physicians may, in certain instances be able to diagnose the cause for such events. Specialty physicians have diagnosed heart blocks, arrhythmias, and even seizures that were unsuspected by the primary care physician [4] .

 

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