title: Near infrared spectroscopy for the detection of desaturations in vulnerable ischemic brain tissue: a pilot study at the stroke unit bedside.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is uncertainty whether bilateral near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used for monitoring of patients with acute stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  The NIRS responsiveness to systemic and stroke-related changes was studied overnight by assessing the effects of brief peripheral arterial oxygenation and mean arterial pressure alterations in the affected versus nonaffected hemisphere in 9 patients with acute stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly more NIRS drops were registered in the affected compared with the nonaffected hemisphere (477 drops versus 184, P<0.001). In the affected hemispheres, nearly all peripheral arterial oxygenation drops (n=128; 96%) were detected by NIRS; in the nonaffected hemispheres only 23% (n=30; P=0.17). Only a few mean arterial pressure drops were followed by a significant NIRS drop. This was however significantly different between both hemispheres (32% versus 13%, P=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study found good responsiveness of NIRS signal to systemic and stroke-related changes at the bedside but requires confirmation in a larger sample.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Neurology, The Netherlands, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen. m.j.h.aries@umcg.nl
authors.forename: Marcel J H
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Aries
authors.forename: Adriaan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Coumou
authors.forename: Jan Willem J
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Elting
authors.forename: Joep J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van der Harst
authors.forename: Berry P H
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Patrick C A J
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Vroomen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods; D020521:Stroke / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen