title: Continuous oxygen monitoring of the conjunctiva in neonates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the first use of a noninvasive conjunctival oxygen monitor in neonates. We wished to investigate if measuring the partial pressure of oxygen directly from the conjunctiva could track hyperoxia and hypoxia as well as, or better than, pulse oximetry. This has the potential to reflect brain oxygenation while yielding important systemic information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Criteria standard.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care hospital neonatal intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten newborns monitored with pulse oximetry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The conjunctival oxygen monitor was studied for effectiveness and safety and compared to pulse oximetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The device remained on the eyes up to 120 minutes. The correlation coefficient between conjunctival oxygen tension and pulse oximetry was significant for all readings (p<0.001) and for pulse oximetry measurements below 100% (p=0.024). One infant developed eyelid edema, which subsided when the device was removed and one sustained a small corneal abrasion that healed overnight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This initial pilot report suggests that the conjunctival oxygen monitor is effective and relatively safe in neonates. The device holds promise to indicate a tissue oxygen reading, which may provide neonatologists with more information about systemic oxygenation.
authors.affiliation: Jules Stein Eye Institute, Departments of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, UCLA School of Medicine, Torrance, CA 90509, USA.
authors.forename: Sherwin J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Isenberg
authors.forename: Doron
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rich
mesh_terms: D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis*; D010313:Partial Pressure; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen