Skin sensors for continuous oxygen monitoring of newborns

Since the introduction of the technique of cutaneous1 pO2 measurement by directly heated oxygen sensors in 1972, the clinical applications and limitations of this new method have been extensively investigated. The method has proven to be of particular value in monitoring of high risk newborns as it affords the possibility of continuously monitoring clinically significant changes in the oxygenation state of the newborn. In this paper, methodological criteria for the assessment of the reliability of cutaneous pO2 monitoring are discussed. Particular consideration is given to the oxygen and temperature profiles in the vicinity of the skin sensor and to the response time of the sensor. In view of the fact that the cutaneous pO2 reflects the oxygen partial pressure at the level of arterialized cutaneous tissue, the method has limitations if it is used as an indirect determinant of arterial pO2.