Cerebral oximetry with cerebral blood volume index in detecting pediatric stroke in a pediatric ED

Thomas J Abramo1, Z Leah Harris2, Mark Meredith3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas School of Medicine, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR.

Insights

Cerebral oximetry and cerebral blood volume index (CBVI) show promise in detecting pediatric strokes. A regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rcso2) side difference greater than 10 or readings below 50% indicate stroke with 100% accuracy.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Medical Technology

Background:

  • Pediatric stroke recognition and activation face delays despite existing systems.
  • Objective tools are crucial for improving pediatric stroke detection and activation.
  • Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rcso2) and cerebral blood volume index (CBVI) can identify abnormal cerebral physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of cerebral oximetry in detecting strokes in pediatric patients.
  • To assess the utility of rcso2 and CBVI in identifying stroke alerts and overall stroke cases.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of left and right rcso2, and their side differences in stroke versus non-stroke pediatric patients.
  • Correlation of rcso2 and CBVI values with stroke location and type (hemorrhagic vs. ischemic).

Main Results:

  • Lower rcso2 and CBVI values were observed in stroke patients compared to non-stroke patients (P < .0001).
  • Greater rcso2 side differences were found in stroke patients (P < .0001).
  • An rcso2 side difference >10 demonstrated 100% positive predictive value for stroke, with similar findings for readings <50%.

Conclusions:

  • Cerebral oximetry (rcso2) and CBVI effectively detect abnormal cerebral physiology, stroke location, and type.
  • Specific thresholds (rcso2 side difference >10 or <50%) indicate stroke with high accuracy.
  • Cerebral oximetry offers a potential non-neurologist tool to expedite pediatric stroke diagnosis and management.
Abstract