Novel approaches to assessing cerebral circulation and oxygenation in preterm human infants.

在出生后的最初几天，一些早产儿会出现低血压。据认为，这意味着进入大脑的血液和氧气量也会下降。如果血压变得非常低，这可能会损伤大脑。药物被用来预防低血压，但它们对大脑血液流动和氧气的影响尚不确定。这项研究旨在开发简单的体外监测程序，使新生儿学家能够监测体重不到1000克的小婴儿大脑中的氧气供应和血液流动，以及服用药物升高血压时大脑内发生的情况。我们将使用一种新仪器，它可以产生低强度的近红外光，这种光可以安全地进入大脑，并根据非常小的血管中存在的氧气量被吸收。由于方法是新的，我们打算首先验证未成熟羔羊的测量。然后，该仪器将应用于对正在接受重症监护、有低压和脑损伤风险的婴儿的研究，澳大利亚每年有多达5000名婴儿。

In the first few days after birth, some premature babies develop low blood pressure. It is thought that this meant that the amount of blood and oxygen going to the brain would also fall. If blood pressure became very low, this could injure the brain. Drugs are used to prevent low blood pressure, but their effect on blood flow and oxygen in the brain is uncertain. This study aims to develop simple cotside monitoring procedures that allow neonatologists to monitor oxygen supply and blood flow in the brain in tiny babies who weigh less than 1000gm, and what happens within the brain when drugs are given to raise blood pressure. We will employ a new instrument that generates low intensity near infrared light which passes safely into the brain and is absorbed according to the amount of oxygen present in very small blood vessels. As the methodology is new, we intend to first validate the measurement in immature lambs. The instrument will then be applied in studies of babies undergoing intensive care and at risk for low pressure and brain injury, as many as 5000 babies each year in Australia.