In plain words
Bradycardia means a slower-than-usual heart rate. Adults are often described as bradycardic below 60 beats per minute, although many healthy people run lower. In babies, the threshold is different. A newborn's heart normally beats faster than an adult's, so a rate under about 100 beats per minute is treated as slow in the first minutes of life. A slow heart rate can happen during sleep, with a low oxygen level, or in a baby who is premature or has heart or nerve differences. In screening, a slow heart rate can show up when a preterm baby sits upright, which is why hospitals test it before discharge. A slow heartbeat with pale or blue color, poor feeding, or limpness is different and needs urgent attention.
The deeper version
Bradycardia is a heart rate below the age-specific lower limit. In neonatal resuscitation, the Neonatal Resuscitation Program of the AAP and AHA uses a heart rate below 100 beats per minute as a trigger for ventilation and further intervention. In preterm infants undergoing car seat tolerance screening, bradycardia, typically below 80 beats per minute or a sustained decline in rate, is one of three failure criteria alongside and desaturation (Bull and Engle, AAP clinical report, 2009). Causes in infancy include hypoxia, vagal responses to airway stimulation or , sepsis, electrolyte disturbance, and congenital conduction abnormalities. Persistent or unexplained bradycardia warrants evaluation, and brief resolved unexplained events are assessed in a separate pathway. Thresholds vary by setting, age, and clinical context.
Where it comes up
- Car seat: choosing, installing, getting it checkedGetting Ready for Birth
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What mothers here say about bradycardia
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association — Neonatal Resuscitation Program, 8th edition, 2021
- Bull MJ, Engle WA, and the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn — Safe transportation of preterm and low birth weight infants at hospital discharge. Pediatrics, 2009