Changes in cerebral oxygenation as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy during early postnatal adaptation in newborns delivered by vacuum extraction

Background and Aims: Newborns delivered by vacuum extraction quite often represent a group of infants with a haemodynamic instability. The conventional means to measure the haemodynamic status are not sensitive enough to asses the severity of general, and more specifically of cerebral circulatory imbalance. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to study cerebral tissue oxygenation during postnatal adaptation in these infants. Methods: 15 newborns delivered by vacuum extraction (group 1) due to fetal distress were enrolled in this study. Immediately after birth and again after 12–24 hours of life, a near-infrared s…