Comparing near-infrared spectroscopy devices and their sensors for monitoring regional cerebral oxygen saturation in the neonate

BACKGROUND: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an upcoming clinical method for monitoring regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO(2)) in neonates. There is a growing market offering different devices and sensors. Even though this technique is increasingly clinically applied, little is known about the similarities and/or differences in rScO(2) values between the different devices and sensors. The aim of this study was to compare the rScO(2) values obtained in (preterm) neonates with all available sensors of three frequently used NIRS devices. METHODS: Fifty-five neonates admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were included in this study. rScO(2) was simultaneously monitored bilaterally with two different NIRS sensors (left and right frontoparietal) for at least 1 h. Then, the sensors were switched, and measurements were collected for at least another hour. RESULTS: We detected a rather close correlation between all investigated sensors from the three different NIRS devices, but absolute rScO(2) values showed substantial differences: Bland Altman analysis showed average differences from 10 to 15%. CONCLUSION: Although the rScO(2) values correlated well between different NIRS sensors, sometimes there were substantial differences between the absolute rScO(2) values, which may complicate clinical application.