Skin-to-skin care in preterm infants receiving respiratory support does not lead to physiological instability

Abstract

© Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. Objective Providing skin-to-skin care (SSC) to preterm infants is standard practice in many neonatal intensive care units. There are conflicting reports on the stability of oxygen saturation (SpO 2) during SSC, which may create a barrier to a wider implementation of SSC to infants receiving respiratory support. Regional cerebral oxygenation (rcO 2) measured using near-infrared spectroscopy can serve as a surrogate parameter for cerebral oxygen delivery and consumption. We hypothesised that rcO 2 during SSC would be similar to standard care in preterm infants receiving respiratory support. Design Prospective observational non-inferiority study...