Keller BP, Schuurman JP, van der Werken C, et al.
Journal of wound care. Date of publication 2006 May 1;volume 15(5):213-7.
1. J Wound Care. 2006 May;15(5):213-7.
Can near infrared spectroscopy measure the effect of pressure on oxygenation of
sacral soft tissue?
Keller BP(1), Schuurman JP, van der Werken C.
Author information:
(1)Department of Surgery, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
bpja.keller@hccnet.nl
OBJECTIVE: To test whether near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is applicable for
the examination of the influence of external pressure on oxygenation of the soft
tissues in the sacral area.
METHOD: Tissue oxygenation was measured in 33 healthy volunteers in the prone
position. A NIRS probe was positioned over the sacrum and external pressure was
applied in 10 mmHg increments, from 20 mmHg to 200 mmHg and then decreased. At
each level, tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) was measured. To test
reproducibility, the protocol was repeated in six volunteers, in whom the
thickness of the soft-tissue envelope at different levels of external pressure
was assessed using ultrasound.
RESULTS: There was wide variability in StO2 courses between the 33 subjects, with
a non-linear relationship between pressure and StO2. The only consistent finding
was that the StO2 was significantly higher after decreasing pressure than at the
initial pressure of 20 mmHg, which is indicative of reactive hyperaemia. Despite
the application of high external pressures, reasonable tissue oxygenation was
maintained in 19 of 33 subjects. Reproducibility of the measurements was poor.
Comparison of soft-tissue thickness with corresponding StO2 values showed that,
with increasing pressure, the percentage decrease in tissue thickness was higher
than the decrease in tissue oxygenation.
CONCLUSION: This study confirms that NIRS is not useful for assessing tissue
oxygenation in pressure ulcer research due to unacceptable inter-individual
variability and poor reproducibility of measurements.
DOI: 10.12968/jowc.2006.15.5.26908
PMID: 16711177 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
