Oxygen Consumption and Other Regulative Mechanisms of Energy Metabolism in Pathological States of the Newborn

Influence of Environmental Temperature on the Energetic and Glycide Metabolism of Pathological Newborns during the First Three Hours of Life

“…In their preceding papers [11,13] the authors pointed at the adverse effect of low environmental temperature in normal new borns immediately after birth, manifested by an increased energetic metabolism as well as by an increased acid glycide metabolite level. Similar findings were also made in pathological newborns in the first days of life [15]. Due to the fact that in the first hours after birth the oxygen consumption in pathological newborns is decreased [6,15], we tried to assess in several homogenous groups of newborns, the effect of warm surroundings during the first three hours of life, i. e. in the period of their adaptation to the external environment.…”

“…Similar findings were also made in pathological newborns in the first days of life [15]. Due to the fact that in the first hours after birth the oxygen consumption in pathological newborns is decreased [6,15], we tried to assess in several homogenous groups of newborns, the effect of warm surroundings during the first three hours of life, i. e. in the period of their adaptation to the external environment.…”

“…M il l e r et al [8] recorded higher values, over 6.8 ml. We usually did not find lower values of oxygen consumption in pathological states [15]. In physiological newborns kept in a cold environment an increase as high as 5 0 % was found, as compared with the values for neutral environmental temperature [11,13].…”

Innate Hypothermia after Hypoxic Ischaemic Delivery

“…The authors described infants born by difficult delivery who, on exposure to cold, were unable to achieve the doubling of heat production seen in neonates after uncomplicated delivery [20]. Other authors found that the oxygen consumption of a group of asphyxiated infants (Apgar scores 1-7 at 1 and 5 min) was lower than that of non-asphyxiated infants when examined at room temperature (24°C) and remained lower for at least 72 h [21]. When challenged with a 1-hour fall in environmental temperature there was a rise in oxygen consumption in most asphyxiated infants, but not to the magnitude seen in normal infants exposed to the same challenge, suggesting that oxygen consumption was lower than expected in the asphyxiated infants and possibly explaining a persistently low temperature in the first 24 h. Similarly, Schubring [22] showed that when the oxygen consumption and temperatures of 13 resuscitated infants (with Apgar scores <7) were compared with 31 term infants with normal Apgar scores, a significant difference in the oxygen consumption was noted until 130 min and in rectal temperature until 75 min.…”

Die Verteilung von Kern- und Hauttemperaturen bei gesunden und cardiopulmonal erkrankten beatmeten Neugeborenen

“…Diese Ergebnisse unterstützen die Annahme, daß die Temperaturdifferenz Tsc-sp einen Index für den peripheren Blutfluß darstellt, welcher von der Umgebungstemperatur weitgehend unabhängig ist. ,12,15,20,21). Da wir die Messungen nicht kontinuierlich während des Krankheitsverlaufes durchgeftihrt haben, konnten wir den Übergang von Normoxie zu Hypoxie nicht aufzeigen.…”