Regional Oxygen Saturation and Blood Volume of Cerebrum in Apnea of Prematurity

Objective:To study regional oxygen saturation (rSO2)of cerebrum and cerebral blood volume (CBV) in apnea of prematurity Method: near infrared spectrophotometry was used to evaluate changes of rSO2,HbO2 and CBV in 16 cases of premature newborns with apnea. blood oxygen saturation (PaO2) was also detected by pulse oximeter Results: PaO2 and cerebral oxygen saturation decreased gradually after apnea of prematurity, there were significant differences for PaO2 and rSO2, between the premature newborns before apnea or 15 S after apnea (97.16(3.50 vs 89.25(3.33) 59. 58( 4. 23 vs 50.92(4.39,P 0.001 ); the lowest values of PaO2 and rSO2, were 30 S after apnea , cerebral rSO2, recover slower compared to PaO2 after apnea attack.. No effect on brain blood volume was found by physical stimulus and aminophylline, but oxygen via bag and mask increased CBV. Conclusion: apnea of prematurity decreases cerebral rSO2 in the newborns, near infrared spectrophotometry is a useful tool in evaluating apnea of prematurity.