The application of near-infrared spectroscopy in oxygen therapy for premature infants

Objective: This study used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect the pulmonary regional oxygen saturation (rSO₂) of premature infants. The oxygenation state of the lung tissue was also evaluated, which provided preliminary evidence regarding the application of NIRS in oxygen therapy for premature infants.Methods: NIRS was used to measure the pulmonary rSO₂ of 26 premature infants (gestational age <32 weeks). The correlations between pulmonary rSO₂ and the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO₂), and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were analyzed. The diagnostic value of NIRS was evaluated via both Pearson's correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.Results: Pulmonary rSO₂ was positively correlated with both PO₂ and SaO₂; the linear correlation coefficients (r) were 0.544 (p = .004) and 0.515 (p = .007), respectively. No significant correlation was found between rSO₂ and SpO₂ (p = .098). SpO₂ was positively correlated with PO₂ (r = 0.402, p = .042) and SaO₂ (r = 0.625, p = .001). NIRS could be used to predict hypoxemia (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.843; Youden's index =0.654) when the pulmonary rSO₂ was 62.39%, the sensitivity was 88.9%, and the specificity was 23.5% (p = .005) as well as predict hyperoxemia (AUC = 0.775; Youden's index = 0.65) when the pulmonary rSO₂ was 61.99%, the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 35% (p = .045). SpO₂ predicted hypoxemia (AUC = 0.784, p = .019) but not hyperoxemia (AUC = 0.7, p = .144).Conclusion: NIRS objectively reflects the changes in oxygenation in the lung tissue. This study provides evidence for the clinical application of NIRS.