Peri-intraventricular hemorrhage and arterial blood pressure fluctuation in the critically ill preterm infant

Arterial blood pressure (ABP) fluctuations and peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (PIVH) were studied in 44 premature infants. Twenty-two infants were treated with pancuronium. ABP waveforms were continuously monitored at 100 Hz, the coefficient of variation of systolic pressure (CVS) was measured by every 50 waveforms, and the percentage of recording time during which CVS was above 5% or above 10% was calculated in each patient. Results indicate that (1) pancuronium administration does not reduce the PIVH incidence, (2) that ABP fluctuation is similar whether PIVH is present or not, and (3) that pancuronium is highly efficient in maintaining a stable ABP pattern