Abstract

Background: The most cardiologists who care for adults have no or minimal experience with electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded in infants. So far, this has had no practical implications because only seldom are they requested to examine a neonatal ECG. To established or find out normal developmental, age and sexes related changes in ECG pattern with their normal variation, facilitate the evaluation of the ECG in children by producing clear, easily understandable graph and tables, established data bank of ECG from normal children that will serve as normal limit/reference value for screening and eventually diagnostic interpretation of ECG and find out peak age at which child's heart attained adult ECG variant.

Material and Methods: The present study was conducted on healthy or apparently healthy 200 subjects of paediatric age groups population (Birth to 14 years) of either sex. Those who attended the post natal wards, immunization clinics and hospitals of Jodhpur district and the students of various schools were the subjects of this study. The age was confirmed by hospital record, birth certificate and school records. Periodically visit to child health centers was done for a physical-clinical examination and ECG recording.

Results: In our study the mean value of the R-wave amplitude in V6 for children aged 8-12 years is 1.2mv as compared to PR Rijnbeek, et al 2001, 2•09 mV and 1•68 mV in the study of Davignon et al. Higher R-wave amplitudes in V6 were also presented by Macfarlane et al, who found a mean R-wave amplitude in V6 of 1•9 mV for children aged 5-12 years.

Conclusion: In our study the incidence of congenital heart disease is 5/1 000 live birth, may be still lower than the developed country. Significant sex differences could be demonstrated for amplitude measurements and QRS duration. ECG parameters are useful for the interpretation of paediatric ECG, in circumstance of western Rajasthan.

Keywords: ECG, QRS duration.