Zuzana Uhríková, Kamil Javorka, Michal Javorka, Lenka Chládeková, Mirko Zibolen
Backround: Recently, phototherapy is the most effective treatment mode of neonatal hyperilirubinemia. In the literature there appear studies that reveal side effects of phototherapy. During treatment comes to change of cardiovascular function, increases peripheral blood flow, decreases cardiac output and progressively attends to activation of symphaticus. The influence of phototherapy on chronotropic regulation of cardiovascular system trough autonomic nervous system has not yet been investigated. Objectives: The aim of present study was to evaluate change of heart rate variability before (HRV), during and after phototherapy. Methods: To prospective pilot study were enrolled to this time 32 term eutrophic infants from them 18 with metabolic hyperbilirubinemia treated with phototherapy. In this group were performed 3 recordings, before, during and after phototherapy. Variables of HRV were compared with the values of HRV in control group. Variability of heart rate was analyzed with time-domain and spectral analysis. Results and conclusion: Phototherapy was found to cause diminution in short term variability of heart rate in newborn documented by time domain and spectral analysis techniques.