Objective: Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was evaluated for use in monitoring global oxygenation in adult patients after cardiac surgery.
Design: Prospective, randomized clinical monitoring study.
Setting: Intensive care unit for cardiac surgery; university hospital.
Participants: The study included 35 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery with insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter; patients with known cerebral-vascular perfusion disturbances were excluded.
Interventions: Noninvasive cerebral NIRS oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) and conventional intensive care monitoring parameters were assessed.
Measurements and main results: Simple regression analysis was used to assess the correlation of rSO(2) to hemodynamic parameters. There was fair-to-moderate intersubject correlation to hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.45, p < 0.0001) and mixed venous oxygen saturation (SmvO(2)) (r = 0.33, p < 0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity of rSO(2) to detect substantial (>or=1 standard deviation) changes in mixed venous oxygen saturation were 94% and 81%, respectively.
Conclusions: Cerebral NIRS in adult patients might not be the tool to replace mixed venous oxygen monitoring. Further work has to be done to assess its potential to reflect intraindividual trends.