POLYGRAPHIC RECORDINGS OF INFANTS BEFORE AND AFTER AN APPARENT LIFE-THREATENING EVENT (ALTE)

Cardiorespiratory parameters of infants before and after an apparent l ife-threatening event were compared in order to assess, to what extent polygraphic sleep recordings contribute to the understanding of these events. In a cohort of 1156 infants, who were examined by sleep polyg raphy during their first year of life between january 1989 and decembe r 1991, 21 infants suffered an apparent life-threatening event subsequ ent to their first polygraphic recording. After the ALTE a further pol ygraphic recording was performed in 19 of these patients. The ALTE inf ants were compared with control infants matched for sex, birth weight, gestational age and chronologic age at recording. Before the ALTE the frequency of obstructive apneas per hour of sleep and the maximum val ue of the tcpCO(2) were significantly higher in the ALTE group than in the control group. After the ALTE no differences between the two grou ps could be detected. Young infants who suffered an ALTE during their first year of life showed an inclination to air-flow obstruction, whic h could be demonstrated more reliably before than after the event.