Tissue Oxygen Deprivation as Detected With Raman in Association With Umbilical Artery Catheters

Umbilical artery catheters (UACs) are associated with significant morbidity in preterm neonates however are necessary for the management of this high risk population. UACs have been linked to serious adverse events (SAEs) including arterial thrombosis, necrotizing enterocolitis, limb ischemia, and renal failure. Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (RRS), raman for short, is a technology that utilizes vibrational spectroscopy, rather than absorbance spectroscopy, to determine the oxyhemoglobin concentration in tissues. In this prospective, observational study, daily measurements of StO2 of low birth weight neonates using raman spectroscopy will be correlated with UACs.The study team hypothesizes that raman can detect changes in peripheral tissue oxygenation in the ipsilateral extremity to the UAC and that raman is more sensitive at detecting changes in peripheral tissue oxygenation then common metrics used to monitor neonatal hemodynamics. If successful, this study would demonstrate that raman can be used as an early marker of tissue oxygen deprivation in neonates with UACs and maybe used to guide management in other clinical scenarios where StO2 is affected.