The use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure cerebral oxygen saturation during body position changes on infants less than one year old.

OBJECTIVE To describe the state of the literature for near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure cerebral oxygen saturation during body position changes on infants <1 year old. INTRODUCTION Although regional cerebral oxygen saturation is commonly used in critically ill populations, it is not usual practice to tailor care based on differences in the cerebral oxygen saturation during measurements in different body positions. We believe that alterations in cerebral oxygen saturation during position changes can also inform clinicians regarding brain health, such as the regulation of brain blood flow. INCLUSION CRITERIA We included studies in infants <1 year old; who had cerebral oxygen saturation measured in varying positions (e.g. supine versus side-lying). METHODS On March 30, 2019, we searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Web of Science for studies written in English with no restriction on publication dates. We selected studies that involved infants <1 year old and measured cerebral oxygen saturation during varying body positions. RESULTS We found 24 primary studies on 694 infants. The authors investigated whether brain oxygen saturation was influenced by body position. A majority of the studies found a statistically significant difference between cerebral oxygen saturation in various body positions. CONCLUSIONS More research needs to be performed on variations in brain oxygen saturation during body position changes and the correlation with outcomes. Knowledge of brain oxygen saturation can provide clinicians an understanding of the infant's brain health. Healthcare providers may adapt care specifically to improve brain health with NIRS-based brain oxygen saturation monitoring.