Near-infrared spectroscopy in the medical management of infants

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a technology that is easy to use and can provide helpful information about organ oxy-genation and perfusion by measuring regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) with near-infrared light. The sensors can be placed in different anatomical locations to monitor rSO2 levels in several organs. While NIRS is not without limitations, this equipment is now becoming increasingly integrated into mod-ern healthcare practice with the goal of achieving better out-comes for patients. It can be particularly applicable in the monitoring of pediatric patients because of their size, and espe-cially so in infant patients. Infants are ideal for NIRS monitoring as nearly all of their vital organs lie near the skin surface which near-infrared light penetrates through. In addition, infants are a difficult population to evaluate with traditional invasive monitor-ing techniques that normally rely on the use of larger catheters and maintaining vascular access. Pediatric clinicians can observe rSO2 values in order to gain insight about tissue perfu-sion, oxygenation, and the metabolic status of their patients. In this way, NIRS can be used in a non-invasive manner to either continuously or periodically check rSO2. Because of these attributes and capabilities, NIRS can be used in various pediat-ric inpatient settings and on a variety of patients who require monitoring. The primary objective of this review is to provide pediatric clinicians with a general understanding of how NIRS works, to discuss how it currently is being studied and employed, and how NIRS could be increasingly used in the near future, all with a focus on infant management.Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 2022; 52:101291