Measurement of transcutaneous hemoglobin concentration by noninvasive white-light spectroscopy in infants

To compare transcutaneously spectroscopically measured hemoglobin values with venous hemoglobin values in infants.

Prospective study in healthy preterm and term infants who were breathing spontaneously.

Recordings were obtained from 85 stable infants (median gestational age at measurement: 36 weeks [range: 34-43 weeks]; median body weight: 1890 g [range: 1095-4360 g]). The spectroscopic hemoglobin values were corrected for inhomogeneous distribution of hemoglobin in the tissue. The venous and spectroscopic hemoglobin values were then compared by using the Bland-Altman method, which gave an error of <5%.

This pilot study could illustrate a good relation between the 2 methods for measuring hemoglobin. Larger studies are required to validate the spectroscopic method in those with conditions that affect the skin microcirculation (eg, septicemia).