CORRELATION BETWEEN NIR SPECTROSCOPY AND PULSE OXIMETRY IN THE FETUS

At the Women's University Hospital Wurzburg, pulse oximetry as well as Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) measurements are performed on the fe tus during labor in order to compare both methods. Changes of oxygen s aturation seem to be positively correlated to concentration changes of oxidized hemoglobin measured by NIR, partially correlated to those of total hemoglobin, and partially correlated negatively to those of red uced hemoglobin. No correlation was found between oxygen saturation ch anges and those of cytochrome aa3, perhaps due to a longer lagtime. Pu lse oximetry as well as NIR Spectroscopy may prove helpful tools for f etal surveillance. Both must be studied particularly with reference to FBA and fetal outcome before clinical decisions can be influenced by these methods.