[Continuous monitoring of blood gases in newborn infants].

Hypoxic brain damage and retrolental fibroplasia caused by hyperoxia can be prevented only by monitoring arterial pO2 during oxygen therapy of the newborn. The accuracy of continuous transcutaneous measurement of arterial pO2 is questionable during unstable phases of adaptation to extrauterine life, and measurement of arterial pO2 with the help of an umbilical arterial catheter (or intraarterial pO2 electrode) may therefore by mandatory. Transcutaneous continuous monitoring of paCO2 appears to afford excellent results and will soon be an indispensable adjuvant for the therapy of newborns with respiratory problems. Since the expense of monitoring is high, oxygen therapy and management of respiratory insufficiency in the newborns concerned should be transferred to centers for neonatal intensive care.