Cerebral Tissue Oxygenation in Very Low Birthweight Infants in the First 3 Days of Life

Cerebral Tissue Oxygen Saturation in Preterm Neonates Below 1500g Birth Weight During the First 72 Hours

The purpose of this study is to examine the range of cerebral tissue oxygen saturation in healthy and sick very low birthweight infants during the first 72 hours of life.

In this observational trial we want to examine cerebral tissue oxygen saturation, total hemoglobin, fractional tissue oxygen extraction and HbD as measured by near infrared spectroscopy during the first 72h of life in very low birthweight infants.

Differences between relatively healthy and sick preterm infants will be explored. A focus is to find differences between those infants who develop germinal matrix hemorrhage and those who are at risk only but do not develop hemorrhage.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Very low birthweight infants