The Utility of Umbilical Cord Pulse Oximetry-A Translational Study with Four Minutes of Deferred Cord Clamping Using an Asphyxiated Preterm Ovine Model.

BACKGROUND

Expert guidelines recommend using pulse oximetry (PO) in the delivery room to monitor oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). Umbilical cord pulse oximetry (UCP) is a novel concept that, despite being postductal, could provide accurate measurements of SpO2 and HR, as it overcomes barriers associated with skin pigmentation.

METHODS

This pilot study used NONIN pulse oximetry on an intact umbilical cord that underwent deferred cord clamping (DCC) to evaluate umbilical cord SpO2 in a preterm asphyxiated ovine model (N of 5) with an HR of <100 bpm. The UCP HR served as a surrogate marker for umbilical vessel flow. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate UCP parameters with arterial saturations (SaO2) and carotid HR between 2 and 10 min.

RESULTS

Following asphyxia, five preterm lambs underwent DCC for 4 min. A significant relationship was noted between SaO2 and umbilical SpO2 (area under the curve (AUC) of 0.907, CI 0.857-0.968, p < 0.0001) along with carotid and umbilical HR (AUC) of 0.842 (CI 0.663-0.902, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In a translational preterm model, UCP accurately predicted preductal SaO2 and carotid HR (a surrogate for umbilical flow). Using UCP in the delivery room will help guide supplemental oxygen and determine the optimal duration of clamping the umbilical cord. These proof-of-concept studies/pilot findings require validation with larger animal cohorts and newborn infants.