Infants that are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are premature or preterm. Infants born before 32 weeks are considered as very preterm and are at high risk of adverse long term health outcomes. Recent advances in brain monitoring technology allows scientists and clinicans to study the brain like never before, therefore allowing for better healthcare for such small and often sick infants.
Recently, a novel technology known as Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has been introduced to monitor oxygen levels in the brain in real-time from preterm infants. NIRS uses a near infrared light which can easily penetrate the soft tissues and skull to measure changes that occur in oxygen levels in the blood vessels. Since NIRS is a new technology, research is needed to collect reference values from preterm infants and this will form the first part of this current project.
Another, older form of real-time brain monitoring technology is called Electroencephalography (EEG). EEG is routinely used to monitor brain activity in preterm infants and it allows doctors to detect events like seizures. However, both NIRS and EEG have rarely been used together and the results correlated. This study aims to explore this relationship and establish the utlity of combined EEG and NIRS monitoring for preterm infants. Results from this research may help in the overall research efforts of the INFANT centre to detect deteriorating brain function in preterm neonates more rapidly. Early detection will hopefullly lead to reduced long term morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population.
