Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Measurements of Cerebral Oxygenation in Newborns during Immediate Postnatal Adaptation

ObjectiveIn view of growing concerns regarding the optimal supplementation of oxygen at birth, we measured cerebral oxygenation during the first minutes of life.Study designUsing near-infrared spectroscopy, changes in cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb), 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.ResultsO2Hb and TOI increased rapidly within the first minutes of life (median slope for O2Hb, 3.4 μmol/L/min; range, 1.4 to 20.6 μmol/L/min; median slope for TOI, 4.2 %/min; range, -0.4 to 27.3%/min), and cerebral HHb decreased (median slope, -4.8 μmol/L/min; range, -0.2 to -20.6 μmol/L/min). O2Hb, TOI, and HHb all reached a plateau within 8 minutes.ConclusionsA significant increase in cerebral O2Hb 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.