Pediatric research
Heart rate variability after hospital discharge in perinatal risk populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
By Gistelinck L, Van den Broeck R, Verhelst C and 4 others.
Abstract
Background
Perinatal risk factors such as preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, and low birth weight are linked to elevated cardiovascular and neurodevelopmental risk. Heart rate variability (HRV) is widely used to assess autonomic function in these populations, yet findings remain inconsistent. While autonomic differences during the NICU period are well established, less is known about HRV after hospital discharge across childhood and adulthood.
Methods
PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and APA PsycArticles were searched through April 2025, supplemented by ClinicalTrials.gov and reference screening. Peer-reviewed studies comparing HRV between perinatal risk populations and healthy full-term controls after hospital discharge were eligible. We extracted 156 effect sizes from 27 studies.