Near-infrared spectroscopy measurements of cerebral oxygenation in newborns during immediate postnatal adaptation.

Abstract

In view of growing concerns regarding the optimal supplementation of oxygen at birth, we measured cerebral oxygenation during the first minutes of life. Using near-infrared spectroscopy, changes in cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (O(2)Hb), dexoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb), and tissue oxygenation index (TOI) were measured during the first 15 minutes of life in 20 healthy newborn infants delivered at term by elective cesarean section. O(2)Hb and TOI increased rapidly within the first minutes of life (median slope for O(2)Hb, 3.4 micromol/L/min; range, 1.4 to 20.6 micromol/L/min; median slope for TOI, 4.2 %/min; range, -0.4 to 27.3%/min), and cerebral HHb decreased (median slope, -4.8 micromol/L/min; range, -0.2 to -20.6 micromol/L/min). O(2)Hb, TOI, and HHb all reached a plateau within 8 minutes. A significant increase in cerebral O(2)Hb and TOI and a significant decrease in HHb occur during immediate adaptation in healthy term newborns, reaching a steady plateau at around 8 minutes after birth.