RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Study of cardiac rhythm in healthy newborn infants. JF British Heart Journal JO Heart FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Cardiovascular Society SP 14 OP 20 DO 10.1136/hrt.43.1.14 VO 43 IS 1 A1 D P Southall A1 J Richards A1 P Mitchell A1 D J Brown A1 P G Johnston A1 E A Shinebourne YR 1980 UL http://heart.bmj.com/content/43/1/14.abstract AB Twenty-four-hour electrocardiograms were recorded in the first 10 days of life on 134 healthy full-term infants with birthweights greater than 2.5 kg. The highest heart rate a minute, measured over nine beats, was 175 +/- 19 (SD). The lowest rates, measured over three, five, and nine beats were 82 +/- 12, 87 +/- 12, and 93 +/- 12, respectively. At their lowest rates 109 infants had sinus bradycardia and 25 had junctional escape rhythms. Thirty-three infants showed changes in P wave configuration with or without pronounced variation in PR interval. Atrial premature beats were present in 19 infants but only one had more than 12 per hour. In a randomly selected subgroup of 71 infants sinus pauses were found in 51 (72%). Five (7%) had electrocardiographic patterns and rhythm disturbances that could not be differentiated from those previously described as complete sinuatrial exit block or sinus arrest, eight (11%) had patterns indistinguishable from 2:1 sinuatrial block, and 23 (32%) had pattern indistinguishable from sinuatrial Wenckebach block. This study shows that normal infants have variations in heart rate and rhythm hitherto considered to be abnormal.