PERIPHERAL CIRCULATORY RESPONSE TO FEEDING IN THE NEWBORN INFANT

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Abstract
The peripheral circulatory response to feeding was studied in 39 normal term infants, age ranging from 24 hours to 9 days. Blood flow to calf of left leg was measured by the venous occlusion plethysmographic method before and half hourly after feeding for 3 to 3½ hours. Arterial pressure was monitored in nine infants via an umbilical arterial catheter simultaneously and regional vascular resistance to flow in the leg calculated. Changes in pulse rate, and skin and rectal temperatures were also monitored. A significant drop in the calf perfusion averaging 49% of the control value was observed at the 30 minutes postprandial recording. This was due to an increased regional vascular resistance and blood pressure remained unchanged during the time of study. As a rule, a superseding hyperperfusion of the limb overshooting the control value by 40 to 50% occurred 1½ to 3 hours after feeding. This was comparable to the hyperkinetic phase described in adult man and other species after meals. The early postprandial vasoconstriction in the leg seems unique to the newborn. It is suggested that having the early circulatory demand provoked by feeding is relatively bigger in the newborn than in the adult and is met partly at the expense of lower limb perfusion.

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