A Study of Agreement Between Oxygen Saturation Measured by Two Probes in Infants on the Neonatal Unit

Continuous monitoring of oxygen saturation level is a key component of neonatal intensive care and NICE recommends that all neonatal services "ensure that systems are in place for preterm babies to have a target saturation level of 91% to 95%" and that this is monitored using "continuous pulse oximetry" (NICE Quality statement 4 in Quality Standard QS193: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs193/chapter/Quality-statement-4-Oxygen-saturation). Oxygen saturation monitoring is used to provide optimal respiratory support to preterm infants to ensure adequate oxygenation of tissues while preventing risks of conditions such as retinopathy of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia [1]. It is equally important in term born infants who require intensive care such as for determining adequate oxygenation for respiratory support and screening for congenital heart disease [2]. For these reasons, most infants in neonatal units are continuously monitored using pulse oximetry, a simple and painless test that measures blood oxygen levels by passing a small beam of light through the infant's hand or foot. This measures the changes in light absorption to calculate the levels of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. To do this the light (or probe) has to be attached to the infant's hand or foot using a tie or a sticker. The probe must be attached firmly for the saturation monitor to pick up the correct readings. As neonatal skin is delicate and it is often difficult to stick objects to it, neonatal oxygen saturation probes are carefully designed. Many different types of saturation probes are in routine use in neonatal units. It is important to ensure that they give accurate and comparable readings. In the neonatal unit in Derby, two types of probes are in routine use: Mindray 520 N and Mindray 521 N. Feedback from parents and staff show that there are concerns that the two probes given very different oxygen saturation readings and, often, do not agree with each other. This has raised concerns that infants' clinical care may be affected by the choice of probe. It is important to know if the two probes give similar results or not to ensure that infants get the appropriate monitoring and respiratory support as needed for good neonatal care. In this study, we will compare the reading made by the two probes and determine whether the readings of the two probes agree with each other and if any disagreement is such that clinical decision making is affected by the difference.