Is low cerebral near infrared spectroscopy oximetry associated with neurodevelopment of preterm infants without brain injury?

Objectives To evaluate the association between low regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) and neurodevelopment in preterm infants classified as no brain injury (NBI). Methods We retrospectively reviewed data of rScO2 monitoring during the first 3 days of life of infants with a gestational age (GA)<28 weeks or birth weight (BW)<1,000 g, with and without brain injury (BI). BI was defined as intraventricular haemorrhage, cystic periventricular leukomalacia or cerebellar haemorrhage. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to study the association of rScO2<55% for more than 10 h in the first 3 days of life ((NIRS10H)) and the 24 months neurodevelopment. Results Of the 185 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 31% were classified as BI infants and 69% NBI. BI compared to NBI infants had a significantly lower GA and a higher incidence of complications of prematurity. Mean rScO2 in the first 72 h of life was significantly lower in BI than NBI. (NIRS10H) in NBI patients was negatively associated with neurodevelopmental scores both at the univariate and multivariate analysis (p<0.05). NBI infants with (NIRS10H) were found to have lower systemic oxygenation than their counterparts with rScO2Conclusions (NIRS10H) in NBI small preterm infants was found to be an independent predictor of neurodevelopment at 24 months and it was associated with low systemic saturation values.