Early childhood cardiological profile of premature infants with a birth weight below 2500 gram

Purpose of the research was to establish the characteristics of the cardiovascular system in premature newborns with a birth weight below 2500 gram in their early childhood. Methods used: the data of 302 children born in 2014-2020 in the Tomsk Oblast Regional Perinatal Center named after I.D. Yevtushenko and the Maternity Hospital No. 4 (both located in Tomsk, Russia) were analyzed. The control group of 76 was formed from healthy full-term newborns. The comparison group of 226 consisted of premature infants with birth weight below 2500 gram with the three subgroups depending on birth weight: low (LBW), very low (VLBW) and extremely low body weight (ELBW). During the follow-up that lasted for up to 3 years after birth an anamnesis, physical examination and fixation of the results of paraclinical studies (ECG, EchoCG) were carried out. Results: the probability of having a cardiac diagnosis among children with ELBW at birth at the time of discharge from the obstetric institution was 7 times higher compared to children with LBW (OR=7.60; [CI 95% 1.6-35.3]); birth weight below 1500 gram was associated with a 7-fold greater likelihood of PDA persistence compared to children with LBW at birth (OR=7.44; [CI 95% 3.34-16.55]); in the comparison group at the different age periods the low EchoCG parameters of heart size were established, while normal values of the left ventricular ejection fraction were noted. Conclusion: children with ELBW at birth differed in their cardiological profile already in their early childhood.