Repeated sensor use for regional cerebral oxygenation measurements by near-infrared spectroscopy: a technical report

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used in clinical practice to assess regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StcO2). There is no evidence whether repeated use of the same sensor affects StcO2 measurements. We aimed to assess whether there was a significant systematic decrease or increase in StcO2 when NIRS sensors were reused. DESIGN: Participants were divided into three groups (A, B and C). StcO2 was recorded over 5 minutes daily for 5 days in Groups A and B ("new-sensor" [NS] period; sensor age, 1-5 days) and in Groups A and C, with the sensor previously used for A ("extended-use" [EU] period; sensor age, 6-10 days). SETTING: Single-centre, university hospital, int..