Abstract
Non-invasive monitoring of sick infants in the neonatal intensive care unit has become an important part of modern care. Bed-side monitoring using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could provide valuable pieces of information about hemodynamic disturbances that are significantly associated with neurologic morbidities and increased mortality in vulnerable newborns.
NIRS evaluates cerebral perfusion and oxygenation, and in conjunction with other imaging methods (functional echocardiography), clinical assessment (heart rate, blood pressure, urine output, capillary refill time) and biochemical parameters (acid-base homeostasis, lactate level) may give us a more complete picture about tissue perfusion. These tools could help us optimize therapy and reduce mortality and incidence of severe neurologic morbidities that significantly impair long-term outcome.