Will apnea and bradycardia cause brain damage?
NO! While long periods of apnea and low heart rate can cause problems, the short periods that most infants have will not cause brain damage. Anyone can hold his breath for a short time without a problem. The monitors are usually set to alarm after 20 seconds; this allows the staff enough time to check the baby, and to help if needed. Do these episodes mean my baby will have SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)? NO! The episodes seen in the nursery are not the same as SIDS, which is usually seen in previously healthy full term infants. Apnea of prematurity is usually due to immaturity of the respiratory center and as the baby matures so will this center. By the time your baby is ready to go home, these events will most likely have stopped. Most apnea and bradycardia due to other causes should also have stopped by the time of discharge. What if the episodes haven’t stopped when my baby is ready to go home? Most babies will have stopped having events by the time they are ready to go home.
