International Journal of Preventive Medicine (Int J Prev Med)2008-780210112020022521872187ENDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Turgut Ozal Medical Center, Inonu University School of Medicine, MalatyaDivision of Neonatology, Zekai Tahir Burak Maternity and Teaching Hospital, Ankara20200216<p><span class="fontstyle0"><strong>Background</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">Avoiding hyperoxia with oxygen saturation monitoring is important in the follow‑up<br />of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Role of oxygen‑derived free radicals in the pathogenesis<br />of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has been well defined. However, a great majority of the evidence<br />supporting the role of hyperoxia in NEC development are data from experimental studies and<br />there are very few clinical studies. In this study, the association between NEC and average oxygen<br />saturation (SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2</span><span class="fontstyle2">) levels in VLBW infants was researched. </span></p><p><strong></strong><span class="fontstyle0"><strong>Methods</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">Average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2 </span><span class="fontstyle2">values of VLBW<br />infants in the last 24 h were recorded prospectively with pulse oximeter. Average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2 </span><span class="fontstyle2">records were<br />continued at least for 10 days starting from the first day after birth. In the follow‑up, the average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2<br /></span><span class="fontstyle2">values of the patients who developed NEC and those who did not were compared. </span></p><p><span class="fontstyle0"><strong>Results</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">A total of<br />127 VLBW infants were followed up. Thirteen patients developed NEC (Bell’s classification ≥ stage<br />II). No differences were found between the average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2 </span><span class="fontstyle2">levels (94.9 and 94.8%) of the patients<br />who developed NEC and those who did not. It was found that average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2 </span><span class="fontstyle2">value higher than 93 or<br />95 was not a risk for NEC development (</span><span class="fontstyle3">P </span><span class="fontstyle2">= 0.693 and </span><span class="fontstyle3">P </span><span class="fontstyle2">= 0.771).</span></p><p><span class="fontstyle0"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">In this study, no<br />association was found between average SpO</span><span class="fontstyle2" style="font-size: 5pt;">2 </span><span class="fontstyle2">values recorded in the first weeks of VLBW infants<br />and NEC.<br /></span></p><p><span class="fontstyle0" style="color: #00652e;"><strong>Keywords</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle3">Enterocolitis, hyperoxia, infant, necrotizing, premature</span></p>http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/view/2187http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/download/2187/717718074