Reliability of Pulse Oximetry during Progressive Hypoxia, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and Recovery in a Piglet Model of Neonatal Hypoxic Cardiac Arrest

Pulse oximetry is widely used in intensive care and emergency conditions to monitor arterial oxygenation and to guide oxygen therapy.

To study the reliability of pulse oximetry in comparison with CO-oximetry in newborn piglets during progressive hypoxia, cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

Thirty-three newborn piglets were exposed to hypoxia until asystole occurred and then resuscitated until ROSC. Arterial oxygen saturation was monitored continuously by pulse oximetry (SpO 2) with one sensor applied to the wrist of the right forelimb (FL) and another to the thigh of the left hind limb (HL). Arterial functional oxygen saturation (SaO 2) was measured at baseline and at predefined intervals during each phase of the experiment. SpO 2 was compared with coinciding SaO 2 values and bias considered whenever the …