Surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus reduces the cerebral tissue oxygenation index in preterm infants: a near-infrared spectroscopy and Doppler study

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligature on cerebral oxygen saturation, cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow velocity by means of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and transcranial Doppler simultaneous examinations. This is an observational study considering 16 babies of gestational age 24-34 weeks diagnosed with PDA who underwent surgical ligation. The cerebral oxygen saturation, CBV and blood gases values were obtained 35 min before ligation, so also around the 14th and 27th min after the clip's insertion. Cerebral oxygen saturation, measured as tissue oxygenation index (TOI), decreased significantly after PDA ligation from a basal value of 61.1 (3.8) before surgery to 56.6 (3.3) and 55.8 (2.6)%, for the 14th and 27th min, respectively (P < 0.04). CBV before and after clipping was unvaried. A negative correlation was found between Delta pH and Delta CBV after ligation (R = 0.52, P = 0.03), whilst a positive correlation was found between Delta CBV and Delta P-aCO2 (R = 0.62, P = 0.009). pH increased at the 27th min post-ligation. NIRS is a tool for obtaining information on cerebral oxygen saturation and CBV changes during surgical PDA ligation at the bedside. A fall in TOI suggests an increased oxygen extraction during PDA surgery. The lack of increase in Delta CBV or in diastolic flow velocity show that the PDA before the clipping did not limit cerebral blood flow, the drop in TOI suggests increased oxygen consumption over the clip and the need for accurate monitoring of oxygen utilization after the surgical treatment.