Assessment of myocardial injury in neonates born to pregnant women with pregnancy complicated by severe preeclampsia by myocardial work indices: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate myocardial injury in neonates born to pregnant women with pregnancy complicated by severe preeclampsia by myocardial work indices.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was performed on 25 preterm infants born to the pregnant women with severe preeclampsia from June 2020 to April 2021 (severe preeclampsia group), and 25 preterm infants born to the pregnant women without severe complications in pregnancy were enrolled as the control group. Echocardiography was performed within 24 hours and at 48-72 hours and 14-28 days after birth to measure conventional parameters. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed to construct a noninvasive left ventricular pressure-strain loop based on two-dimensional myocardial strain and left ventricular systolic pressure noninvasively measured, so as to calculate myocardial work indices.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the severe preeclampsia group had significant reductions in left ventricular global work index and global constructive work within 24 hours after birth (<0.05), a significant reduction in left ventricular global work efficiency and a significant increase in global waste work at 48-72 hours after birth (<0.05), and a significant reduction in left ventricular global work efficiency at 14-28 days after birth (<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Subclinical myocardial injury persists in the neonatal period in preterm infants born to pregnant women with severe preeclampsia.