Regional Cerebral Abnormalities Measured by Frequency-Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Pediatric Patients during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Fenghua Tian, Christopher Jenks, Donald Potter, Darryl Miles, Lakshmi Raman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of advanced cardiorespiratory support provided to critically ill patients with severe respiratory or cardiovascular failure. While children undergoing ECMO therapy have significant risk for neurological morbidity, currently there is a lack of reliable bedside tool to detect the neurologic events for patients on ECMO. This study assessed the feasibility of frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for detection of intracranial complications during ECMO therapy. The frequency-domain NIRS device measured the absorption coefficient (μa) and reduced scattering coefficient (μs′) at six cranial positions from seven pediatric patients (0-16 years) during ECMO support and five healthy controls (2-14 years). Regional abnormalities in both absorption and scattering were identified among ECMO patients. A main finding in this study is that the abnormalities in scattering appear to be associated with lower-than-normal μs′ values in regional areas of the brain. Because light scattering originates from the intracellular structures (such as nuclei and mitochondria), a reduction in scattering primarily reflects loss or decreased density of the brain matter. The results from this study indicate a potential to use the frequency-domain NIRS as a safe and complementary technology for detection of intracranial complications during ECMO therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)e52-e59
JournalASAIO Journal
Volume63
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Keywords

  • absorption
  • extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
  • frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy
  • intracranial complications
  • scattering

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Bioengineering
  • Biomaterials
  • Biomedical Engineering

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