ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Cerebral tissue oxygenation index in very premature infants

G Naulaers¹, G Morren², S Van Huffel², P Casaer¹ and H Devlieger¹

¹ Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Leuven, Belgium
² ESAT/SISTA-COSIC, Department of Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Naulaers, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital UZ Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
gunnar.naulaers{at}uz.kuleuven.ac.be

Aim: To describe normal values of the cerebral tissue oxygenation index (TOI) in premature infants.

Methods: TOI was measured by spatially resolved spectroscopy in preterm infants on the first 3 days of life. Infants with an abnormal cranial ultrasound were excluded. Other simultaneously measured variables were PaO₂, PaCO₂, pH, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, haemoglobin, glycaemia, and peripheral oxygen saturation.

Results: Fifteen patients with a median postmenstrual age of 28 weeks were measured. There was a significant increase in median TOI over the first 3 days of life: 57% on day 1, 66.1% on day 2, and 76.1% on day 3. Multiple regression analysis showed no correlation between TOI and postmenstrual age, peripheral oxygen saturation, mean arterial blood pressure, PaO₂, PaCO₂, and haemoglobin concentration.

Conclusion: Cerebral TOI increases significantly in the first 3 days of life in premature babies. This increase probably reflects the increase in cerebral blood flow at this time.

Keywords: near infrared spectroscopy; brain oxygenation; tissue oxygenation index

Abbreviations: NIRS, near infrared spectroscopy; TOI, tissue oxygenation index

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