Buy Article Permissions and Reprints Abstract

Objective Cerebral oximetry using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive optical technology widely used in neonatology. The present study aimed to define reference ranges for cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (crSO2) with a new four-wavelength NIRS device, Masimo O3® oximeter, during immediate transition after birth and compare values with those obtained previously with NIRO 200NX®.

Study Design This was a prospective observational study using Masimo O3 device to measure crSO2 and regional cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) in healthy term newborns delivered by primary cesarean section, during the 15 minutes after cord clamping. The neonates who required any medical support were excluded. The NIRS sensor was placed on the right forehead. Peripheral oxygen saturation and heart rate were continuously measured by pulse oximetry. Previous studies which established centiles for crSO2 with NIRO 200NX were used for comparison.

Results A total of 44 newborns were included. The median crSO2 and cFTOE (interquartile range) at 2, 5, and 7 minutes was 54% (49–54), 71% (64–86), and 79% (73–84) and 0,25 (0,18–0,33), 0,19 (0,15–0,23), and 0,16 (0,12–0,21), respectively, with no further changes afterwards. The crSO2 measurements were significantly higher with Masimo O3 compared with NIRO-200NX.

Conclusion The present observational study presented reference ranges for crSO2 and cFTOE measured with Masimo O3 oximeter during the immediate neonatal transition. Values obtained with O3 were higher than those obtained with other oximeters. For this reason, crSO2 is device-specific so there must be known reference values for each oximeter to define therapeutic interventions based on crSO2 and assess cerebral oxygenation in clinical studies.

Key Points

Masimo O3 uses four wavelengths to measure regional oxygen saturation value.

O3 values of crSO2 and cFTOE differ with other neonatal oximeters at birth.

Knowledge of reference range of O3 at birth is essential to guide resuscitation.

Keywords near-infrared spectroscopy - newborn infant - cerebral tissue oxygen saturation - birth - term newborn Publication History

Received: 23 October 2023

Accepted: 23 January 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
25 January 2024

Article published online:
27 February 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA