Pulse oximeter method as an indicator of blood perfusion in neonate patients / Naszariah Mohd Noor

Blood gas measurements normally provide critical information on oxygenation,
ventilation and acid-base status. In critically ill neonates, where peripheral perfusion
may drop below the minimums required for tissue oxygenation and cellular
respiration, the risk associated with rapid changes in oxygen saturation is high. Thus,
effective means of monitoring blood oxygen saturation is essential. Using pulse
oximetry is appealing because it is non-invasive and correlates well with arterial
gases. Optimal pulse oximetry monitoring accuracy is depending on the selection of a
monitoring site characterized by good perfusion with oxygen saturation. The aim of
this research is to investigate the use of pulse oximetry as a non-invasive indicator of
blood perfusion of preterm newborns. One hundred and fifty (89 male and 61 female)
preterm newborns, regardless of ethnic group and delivery norm, admitted in Special
Care Nursery University Malaya Medical Centre were recruited for this observational
study from 2006 to 2008. The inclusion criteria were neonates with a diagnosis of
respiratory distress syndrome who required ventilatory support, gestational age
between 28 weeks to 37 weeks, and weighing less than 2500g. Healthy preterm
neonates weighing more than 2500g were excluded. Mathematical modeling was
used to model the correlation between the oxygen saturation and blood perfusion.
With the analysis made, perfusion index correlates positively with oxygen saturation
for both palm and foot sensors (r = 0.91, r = 0.92) respectively with an accuracy of
96%. Hence, pulse oximetry technique is a useful tool to indicate the blood perfusion
in neonate patients.