Hemodynamic signal analysis for intracranial hemorrhage prevention in the premature infant

While recent improvements in neonatal intensive care are nowadays allowing recovery from many neonata pathologies, intracranial periventricular hemorrhage (PH-IVH) remains an open problem. PH-IHV is characteristic of the premature infant, particulary of the premature infant with less than approximately 32 weeks gestation and weighing less than 1500 g at born time. Recent studies indicate the remarkably high incidence of this lesion (beetwen 35 and 45%) while the continuing increase in survival rate at lower gestation age is making the importance of this pathology greater. Rapid changes in blood pressure have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neonatal PH-IVH; these changes often occur with intensive care procedures or manipulations.