Exploring the risk of hyperoxia in oxygen-dependent very low birthweight infants in the first week of life to plan future trials of oxygen targeting

The practice of titrating supplemental oxygen to target levels of pulse oximeter saturation (SpO2) evolved with little supporting evidence. Before this, the recommended practice was to target transcutaneous or arterial PO2 to 6.7–10.7 kPa (50–80 mm Hg).1 2 Recent evidence shows that SpO2 targets below 90% increase mortality and necrotising enterocolitis and higher targets increase retinopathy of prematurity treatment, but not blindness or disability.3 4 The optimal SpO2 target range for preterm infants is unknown. Trials of higher SpO2 targets are needed to determine any further survival advantage to be gained. Because the haemoglobin oxygen dissociation curve flattens at higher SpO2, the likelihood of hyperoxia at higher SpO2 needs to be better understood before such trials are designed. We explored the relationship between arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) and SpO2 in oxygen-dependent preterm infants targeted to the SpO2 range of 90%–95% and calculated...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research