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Oxygen saturation trends in preterm infants during the first 15 min after birth

Journal of Perinatology volume 30, pages 399–402 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To determine oxygen saturation (SpO2) trends in healthy preterm newborns during the first 15 min after birth and to ascertain factors affecting SpO2 changes during that period.

Study Design:

An observational study was conducted. Preterm newborns with gestational age (GA) less than 35 weeks, who did not require oxygen supplementation during the first 15 min of life, were enrolled. Pulse oximetry was applied to the right hand immediately after birth. SpO2 data were recorded continuously every 2 s and were then transferred to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for analysis. The time to reach a stable SpO2 ⩾85 or ⩾90% was described by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using log-rank test.

Result:

A total of 102 preterm newborns were eligible, of whom 27 were excluded, resulting in 75 newborns enrolled into the study with a median (range) GA of 35 (29 to 35) weeks, median (range) birth weight of 2390 (1270 to 2990) g and median (range) Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min of 9 (5 to 10) and 10 (7 to 10), respectively. There was a gradual increase in SpO2 with time. The median (interquartile range, IQR) SpO2 at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 min was 77% (72 to 92), 84% (75 to 94), 88% (80 to 94), 90% (79 to 95) and 95% (85 to 97), respectively. Newborns with a lower GA seemed to have lower SpO2 values. The median (IQR) time to reach a stable SpO2 ⩾85 or ⩾90% was 4 (3 to 6) and 5 (3 to 57) min, respectively. The mode of delivery was a significant factor affecting SpO2; infants delivered by cesarean section had a significantly lower SpO2 and took a longer time to reach SpO2 ⩾85% compared with those delivered by vaginal delivery (HR=1.96, 95% CI=1.11 to 3.49; P=0.02). All enrolled newborns had no serious complications and they survived to discharge.

Conclusion:

SpO2 in preterm newborns gradually increased with time. Approximately half of the preterm newborns had an SpO2 <90% during the first 5 min of life. Infants delivered by cesarean section had a lower SpO2 than those delivered by vaginal delivery.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Dr Amnuay Thithapandha and Professor Aroonwan Preutthipan for their valuable comments and suggestions, and to Sam Ormond for editing the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    P Nuntnarumit & A Tangnoo

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

    K Rojnueangnit

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  1. P Nuntnarumit
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Correspondence to P Nuntnarumit.

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Nuntnarumit, P., Rojnueangnit, K. & Tangnoo, A. Oxygen saturation trends in preterm infants during the first 15 min after birth. J Perinatol 30, 399–402 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2009.178

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