Clinical validation of a continuous intravascular neonatal blood gas sensor introduced through an umbilical artery catheter.

Introduction: Arterial blood gas (ABG) values are a necessary diagnostic measurement in the management of critically ill neonates. We hypothesized that a fiberoptic intravascular blood gas sensor, adapted for use through an umbilical artery catheter, would produce blood gas results with clinically acceptable bias and precision, in comparison to laboratory values, but with no blood loss.

Methods: We evaluated a fiberoptic intravascular blood gas sensor (Neotrend) in 23 consecutive neonates suffering respiratory failure.