Near infrared spectroscopy for the detection of desaturations in vulnerable ischemic brain tissue: a pilot study at the stroke unit bedside.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is uncertainty whether bilateral near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used for monitoring of patients with acute stroke. METHODS The NIRS responsiveness to systemic and stroke-related changes was studied overnight by assessing the effects of brief peripheral arterial oxygenation and mean arterial pressure alterations in the affected versus nonaffected hemisphere in 9 patients with acute stroke. RESULTS Significantly more NIRS drops were registered in the affected compared with the nonaffected hemisphere (477 drops versus 184, P<0.001). In the affected hemispheres, nearly all peripheral arterial oxygenation drops (n=128; 96%) were detected by NIRS; in the nonaffected hemispheres only 23% (n=30; P=0.17). Only a few mean arterial pressure drops were followed by a significant NIRS drop. This was however significantly different between both hemispheres (32% versus 13%, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS This pilot study found good responsiveness of NIRS signal to systemic and stroke-related changes at the bedside but requires confirmation in a larger sample.