Cardiorespiratory events detected by home memory monitoring and one-year neurodevelopmental outcome

Objective To determine if infants with cardiorespiratory events detected by home memory monitoring during early infancy have decreased neurodevelopmental performance. Study design Infants (n = 256) enrolled in the Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation also completed the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II at 92 weeks' postconceptional age. Infants were classified as having 0, 1 to 4, or 5+ cardiorespiratory events. Events were defined as apnea greater than or equal to20 seconds or heart rate <60 to 80 bpm or <50 to 60 bpm, for greater than or equal to5 to 15 seconds, depending on age. Results For term infants, having 0, 1 to 4, and 5+ cardiorespiratory events was associated with unadjusted mean Mental Developmental Index (MDI) values (+/-SD) of 103.6 (10.6), 104.2 (10.7), and 97.7 (10.9), respectively, and mean Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) values of 109.5 (16.6), 105.8 (16.5), and 100.2 (17.4). For preterm infants, having 0, 1 to 4, and 5+ cardiorespiratory events was associated with unadjusted mean MDI values of 100.4 (10.3), 96.8 (11.5), and 95.8 (10.6), respectively, and mean PDI values of 91.7 (19.2), 93.8 (15.5), and 94.4 (17.7). The adjusted difference in mean MDI scores with 5+ events compared with 0 events was 5.6 points lower in term infants (P = .03) and 4.9 points lower in preterm infants (P = .04). Conclusions Having 5+ conventional events is associated with lower adjusted mean differences in MDI in term and preterm infants.