PEDIATRICS Vol. 79 No. 4 April 1987, pp. 612-617
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ramanathan, R.
Right arrow Articles by Larrazabal, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ramanathan, R.
Right arrow Articles by Larrazabal, C.

Pulse Oximetry in Very Low Birth Weight Infants With Acute and Chronic Lung Disease

Rangasamy Ramanathan MD1, Manuel Durand MD1, and Carlos Larrazabal MD1

1 The Newborn Division, Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles

With improved survival of very low birth weight infants, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia has significantly increased. Pulse oximetry appears to be an adequate alternative to transcutaneous Po2, for continuous arterial oxygen saturation (Sao2) monitoring in neonates; however, its usefulness has not been very well documented in very low birth weight infants. We studied 68 patients with birth weight < 1,250 g; 44 neonates had respiratory distress syndrome and 24 had bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Using a Nellcor N-100 pulse oximeter, we compared transcutaneous oxygen saturation with simultaneous arterial samples analyzed for Sao2 (range 78% to 100%) using an IL 282 co-oximeter. Fetal hemoglobin was measured in 66 patients. We also evaluated the accuracy of transcutaneous Po2 in reflecting arterial Po2 in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Over a wide range of Po2, Pco2, pH, heart rate, BP, hematocrit, and fetal hemoglobin, linear regression analysis revealed a close correlation between pulse oximeter values and co-oximeter measured Sao2 in patients with acute (r = .88, Y = 19.41 + 0.79X) and chronic (r = .90, Y = 9.72 + 0.92X) disease. Regression analysis of transcutaneous v arterial Po2 in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed an r value of .78. In addition, in these patients with chronic disease, the mean difference between pulse oximeter Sao2 and co-oximeter measured Sao2 was 2.7 ± 1.9% (SD); whereas the mean difference between transcutaneous and arterial Po2 was -14 ± 10.7 mm Hg.

Our findings indicate that pulse oximetry can be used reliably in very low birth weight infants with acute and chronic lung disease, for Sao2 values greater than 78%. This technique is more advantageous than transcutaneous Po2 in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the performance of the pulse oximeter in tiny infants with Sao2 values < 78%.

Key Words: pulse oximetry • very low birth weight infant • respiratory distress syndrome • bronchopulmonary dysplosia

Submitted on June 24, 1986
Accepted on November 11, 1986




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed.Home page
S Kotecha and J Allen
Oxygen therapy for infants with chronic lung disease
Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., July 1, 2002; 87(1): F11 - 14.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
M J Gamponia, H Babaali, F Yugar, and R H Gilman
Reference values for pulse oximetry at high altitude
Arch. Dis. Child., May 1, 1998; 78(5): 461 - 465.
[Abstract] [Full Text]